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TITLE: Brazilian Dam-Affected Families Occupy Ministry of Mines and Energy |
AUTHOR: |
ORG: Movimento dos Atingidos por Barragens (MAB) |
DATE: March 14, 2001 |
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Call for Democratization of Brazilian Energy Policy Fifteen hundred people affected or threatened by large dams in Brazil occupied the Ministry of Mines and Energy this morning in a call for the democratization of Brazilian energy policy and the implementation of energy alternatives. The protests are part of March 14: The International Day of Action Against Dams and for Rivers, Water, and Life, with protests and teach-ins planned in more than 28 countries. The protestors arrived from places as distant as Tocantins (Lajeado dam), Rio Grande do Sul (Itá, Machadinho dams), São Paulo (Ribeira de Iguape valley), Pernambuco (Itaparica dam) and Bahia (Gatos I, Sacos and Cocos planned dams). "These men, women, and children are here to demand a halt to new dam construction until already-existing problems caused by dams in Brazil are solved", says Sadi Baron, one of the coordinators of the Movement of Dam-Affected People (MAB). In Brasília, the principal targets of the protest are the Ministry of Mines and Energy and the headquarters of the Inter-American Development Bank, which provides loans to private companies for dam construction. In São Paulo, families of quilombolas (communities of descendents of escaped African slaves) from the Ribeira valley protested on Monday at the headquarters of Brazil's environmental protection service, IBAMA to protest the agency's plans to award an environmental license for the Tijuco Alto dam. MAB also says it will occupy and force construction to stop on various dam projects throughout the country (sites to be revealed later). Throughout Brazil, one million people have been expelled from their homes and land to make way for construction of large dams - many of them have never been compensated. Innumerable other families, living near projects or downstream, have lost their livelihood due to the dams' impacts on fish resources, floodplain agriculture, and other subsistence activities. Throughout the world, energy planners and international financial institutions are becoming aware of the impacts caused by large dams. The World Commission on Dams published the results of its two-year study last November, finding that large dams do not fulfill their targets in terms of projected costs, energy generation, and for flood control and irrigation. The Commission also criticized the attitude of many governments which do not permit an open and informed debate regarding alternatives to these projects. The Brazilian government participated in this study, but they refuse to implement the WCD's recommendations. MAB defends reparations to dam-affected people for damages suffered, and it says it will fight new dams which would seriously impact riverbank dwellers, indigenous peoples and quilombolas and harm the environment. MAB calls on the Brazilian electric sector to democratize its decision-making process for these projects, as well as implementing energy generation and conservation measures to avoid the severe social and environmental impacts large dams cause. By controlling energy demand, diversifying energy supply, and increasing energy efficiency, the government would avoid the threat of blackouts, today inevitable given poor planning by government agencies and the increasing influence of foreign speculators in the privatization of the energy sector. MAB also proposes a system of agricultural credits so that farming families affected by dams may remain on the land, and so that communities in regions affected by dam projects may participate in the process of economic development. Contacts: Hélio Mecca, Sadi Baron, Cirineu Rocha .61.9984.7219 José Camilo .45.9973.8383 Silvani Cristina Alves .11.232.1328 Movimento dos Atingidos por Barragens (MAB)/Movement of Dam-Affected People São Paulo, Brazil Tel/fax: 11 232 1328/3107 8246 END |