By Erica Lang / Cronkite Borderlands Project
Published June 17, 2015
In between the Pacific Coast and the western shores of Lake Nicaragua, lies a strip of land, less than 100 kilometers wide. There, a teaming municipality called Rivas, is a large community of Nicaraguan citizens who fear they will be displaced by the building of the Nicaraguan Canal Project, a project announced by President Daniel Ortega. Ortega promises new economic opportunities for the local people as well as global stakes in markets that the country has never seen in the 21st century.
However, the picture of the local communities on both the coast of the Pacific as well as Lake Nicaragua is one of uncertainty. With land rights and laws shrouded in obscurity and the project itself having a flexible start date, the citizens of Nicaragua fear that they may be displaced by the project. Two families represent the communities both by the sea as well as the lake. Communities that are uncertain of what the future holds, and fearful that their culture and way of life may be in danger.
VIDEO: Nicaraguans who live in canal path fear for future
The proposed Nicaragua Canal, will cut through Lake Nicaragua near the community of San Jorge. According to government officials, the canal will dwarf the Panama project and will be the largest canal in the world. Families in this area fear their land and way of life will be taken from them as the canal project moves forward.
GALLERY: The Galeano family
Jose Galeano and his family live just a few kilometers from the beach. But with the proposed interoceanic canal project, the family may be forced to leave. Galeano said he does not know where he will relocate if his family is displaced.
