Chinese geologist Fan Xiao links the recent Ya'an earthquake in
China to the massive Wenchuan earthquake in 2008, which may have
been induced by the filling of the Zipingpu reservoir. Now
scientists warn that more earthquakes can be expected in this
seismically active region, and that the government's large dams
plans may contribute to these disasters. On March 22 – World
Water Day – a Ngäbe-Bugle indigenous man named Onesimo Rodriguez
was found murdered, his body left in a nearby stream, after
attending a protest rally against the 28.84 MW Barro Blanco
Hydroelectric Project in western Panama. Tensions have been
mounting in recent years as the dam draws closer to completion,
despite the unresolved issues around the dam's impacts and the
poor stakeholder consultation processes led by the project's
proponents. Photojournalist Rick Gerharter visited the Ngäbe-
Buglé communities in Panama in February. His delegation
documented their stories and the potential impacts of the Barro
Blanco Dam, which if completed, wou