IADB urged to withdraw Guatemala dam funding

The Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) has been urged to withdraw financing from two dams being built in Guatemala which are alleged to have damaged the environment and local communities.

A formal complaint filed by rights groups and indigenous leaders alleges that construction of the Pojom II and San Andres hydroelectric dams, financed in part by $13 million from IADB, has polluted water sources for hundreds of indigenous Mayans in northern Huehuetenango province.

The complaint was submitted to the Independent Consultation and Investigation Mechanism, an independent accountability body of the IADB.