They are the inhabitants, men, women, young and old people and children from Temacapulin, Jalisco State, Mexico. These people will see their homes flood if the private project to build another dam on Verde River succeeds.

Thursday 25th was the deadline granted by a Jalisco Court to suspend the construction works of the “New Temaca”. The population doesn´t even accept that the name of their historical town is used for a new place where they don´t want to move. But they suspect that the construction company will not abide by the Court´s ruling and will carry on with their works.

Guadalupe Espinosa – lawyer at Colectivo COA, an organization that represents the affected people, said to Real World Radio that Cañadas de Obregon municipality has to demand the construction company to stop building houses. If this doesn´t occur, criminal actions will be brought.

Maria Felix, inhabitant of Temacapulin, was interviewed by Real World Radio and said that there are no signs by the construction company that show that they are willing to end their operations, despite the decisions by the Human Rights State Commission that support the claims of the community.

Meanwhile, water state authorities have recognized that the consultation carried out to the population was deceitful since according to the height of the dam originally planned, Temaca wouldn’t be flooded. However, the dam went from 80 to 105 meters without consulting the population, and thus affecting this historical town which hosted the 3rd International Meeting of Dam-Affected People and their Allies last October.

Around 15 houses have been built, said Maria Felix. The cold is becoming harder during the nights, and tens of people stay in their tents. However, nobody will move, said Maria. “We had an agreement with the construction company but they didn´t respect it”. “We won´t live in any other place except Temaca”, she concluded.