A federal judge in Brazil has suspended construction work on a massive
dam in the heart of the Amazon rainforest.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Judge Souza Prudente said that work
could only resume on the $11bn, 11,000MW Belo Monte Dam after the indigenous
communities living in the area were consulted.
The dam has been condemned by environmentalists and rights activists,
who say that it would devastate wildlife and the livelihoods of 40,000 people
who live in the area that would be flooded.
The government, however, says the dam will be a source of clean,
sustainable energy, and that it will help fuel the country's economy.
The dam would be the world's third largest when completed on the Xingu
River that feeds the Amazon.
The court noted that when congress approved the project in 2005, it
called for an environmental impact study after the start of the work.
Environmental
impact
Native communities had been given the right to air their concerns in
parliament on the basis of that environmental-impact study.
This was not done, the court said.
It said that the Norte Energia consortium in charge of the project will
be able to appeal the decision to a higher court.
Norte Energia told AFP it was awaiting formal notification of the court
ruling before responding.
The court said the consortium was liable for a daily fine of $250,000
should it flout the order.
"It's a historic decision for the country and for the native
communities," Antonia Melo, coordinator of the Xingu Vivo indigenous
movement, said.
"It's a great victory which shows that Belo Monte is not a done
deal. We are very happy and satisfied."
Fierce opposition
About 12,000 workers are due to be working on the dam's constructions,
24 hours a day, by the end of the year. Up to 22,000 are scheduled to be at the
site by next year.
Work on the dam began a year ago, despite fierce opposition from local
people and environmental activists.
Indigenous groups fear the dam will harm their way of life while
environmentalists have warned of deforestation, greenhouse-gas emissions and
irreparable damage to the ecosystem.
Belo Monte is expected to flood an area of 500sq km along the Xingu and
displace 16,000 people, according to the government, although
some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) put the number at 40,000
displaced.
Some 150 indigenous activists recently occupied one of the dam's four
construction sites for three weeks to demand that Norte Energia honour
commitments made to their communities.
The federal government plans to invest a total $1.2bn to assist the
displaced, by the time the dam is completed in 2019.