Brazilian courts reject dam construction plans again

21/08/2012

Brazilian courts have, once again, suspended the building of a $17 billion dam in northern Brazil, claiming that the indigenous people whose lives it would affect were not properly consulted.

The Belo Monte hydroelectric dam, if it were to be constructed, would become the third largest dam in the world. The decision by the Brazilian Congress to approve the construction of the dam in the first place is now being called into question. The agreement made between the UN and the Brazilian constitution, declares that the congress only has the right to approve such projects if local indigenous people are consulted and a proper review of environmental impact takes place beforehand.

Evidence suggests that neither of these processes actually took place in advance of the approval of the dam, which initially occurred in 2005, a full five years before the first environmental impact review was carried out.

Regional Federal Judge Souza Prudente, told O Globo newspaper: “A study on the environmental impact of the project was required before, not after, work on the dam started. The legislation is flawed.”

He added, “The Brazilian Congress must take into account the decisions taken by the indigenous communities.”

The dam, however, does have major support in Brazil, whose government claims that it will help to make the newly economically powerful country more independent in producing its own energy. They also claim that it will control the flow of the Xingu River, reducing it downriver from the dam. It will also have the effect of flooding rainforests upstream and near the dam, which will displace tens of thousands of people, many of whom are indigenous people belonging to the Juruna, Arara and Xikrin tribes.

Norte Energia, who is planning to construct and manage the dam, along with Brazilian authorities, have pledged to provide more than $1 billion to help relocate those effected. However, there has been widespread protest to the plans from local communities who claims that the impact will be far-reaching, also impacting fishing and farming of indigenous communities downstream. Indigenous leaders have been heavily involved in the protests, including action such as occupation of the dam during the Rio+20 convention and the detention of several Norte Energia employees.

The rapid growth of the economies in South America and in Brazil in particularly has led to more demand for energy and a greater number of hydroelectric dams being planned for development. In 2010, some 2,200 dams were planned for construction in South America, 1,700 of which were to be located in Brazil.

Those interested in safeguarding the future of the country’s rainforests are generally opposed to the dam projects. Alternative energy sources include biomass, from sustainably grown forestry by-products, as well as wind, solar and wave energy.