Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. GPS News .




WATER WORLD
Brazil activists, energy group to meet over Amazon dam
by Staff Writers
Sao Paulo (AFP) Oct 12, 2012


Fishermen and indigenous people occupying a disputed dam in Brazil's Amazon are due to argue before a federal judge Monday their claim that the project harms their way of life, official media reported.

Agencia Brasil said Judge Marcelo Honorato summoned representatives of the Norte Energia consortium in charge of the Belo Monte Dam and of the more than 150 fishermen and natives occupying the dam's Pimental construction site since Monday.

Officials from the National Indian Foundation, the government agency dealing with indigenous peoples, are set to attend the conciliation meeting at the site, along with Para state public defenders to provide legal assistance.

But Honorato served notice that the meeting would occur only if the activists end their occupation of Pimental, one of the dam's five construction sites, Agencia Brasil said.

Protesters accuse Norte Energia of backtracking on accords signed in June when 150 indigenous people occupied the Pimental area for three weeks.

The natives want their lands demarcated and non-indigenous people removed from them, as well as a better health care system and access to drinking water.

Indigenous groups fear the dam across the Xingu River, a tributary of the Amazon, will harm their way of life while environmentalists have warned of deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions and irreparable damage to the ecosystem.

Expected to produce 11,000 megawatts of electricity, the dam would be the third biggest in the world, after China's Three Gorges facility and Brazil's Itaipu Dam in the south.

It is one of several hydroelectric projects billed by Brazil as providing clean energy for a fast-growing economy.

The dam is, however, expected to flood an area of 500 square kilometers (200 square miles) along the Xingu and displace 16,000 people, according to the government, although some NGOs put the number at 40,000 displaced.

The federal government plans to invest a total of $1.2 billion to assist the displaced by the time the dam is completed in 2019.

.


Related Links
Water News - Science, Technology and Politics






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








WATER WORLD
Brazil activists occupy controversial Amazon dam
Rio De Janeiro (AFP) Oct 9, 2012
More than 150 fishermen and indigenous natives occupied Brazil's Belo Monte dam on Tuesday, claiming the project will do irreparable damage to the Amazon ecosystem and their way of life. "This singular alliance of Indians and fishermen is aimed at blowing the whistle on the construction company which has not kept promises made in June, during the Rio sustainable development summit," Maira Ir ... read more


WATER WORLD
Struggling N. Ireland farmers get boost

Scientists Use New Method to Help Reduce Piglet Mortality

Unusual genetic structure confers major disease resistance trait in soybean

Unravelled mushroom genome offers many opportunities

WATER WORLD
Organic solar cells with high electric potential for portable electronics

MIT team builds most complex synthetic biology circuit yet

Origin of ultra-fast manipulation of domain walls discovered

Materials scientists prevent wear in production facilities in the electronics industry

WATER WORLD
Chile deploys Israel's RecceLite system

Quickstep moves on Hercules order

Boeing: Boeing Receives $2 Billion C-17 Aircraft Sustainment Contract

Two flights grounded in China after phone threats: airline

WATER WORLD
Tycoon offers Chinese cars for Japanese amid row

China's September auto sales fall on Japan row

Japan's Toyota to recall 7.43 mn vehicles globally

GM says China auto sales hit record in September

WATER WORLD
China exports jump but weakness seen ahead

Argentine mission to seek release of seized ship

Miners' strikes weaken S. African economy

Ghana 'violating intl norms' over ship: Argentina

WATER WORLD
Study finds nearly 50% of retail firewood infested with insects

Northern conifers youngest of the species

Climate change cripples forests

Semi-dwarf trees may enable a green revolution for some forest crop

WATER WORLD
Boeing Releases Updated Geospatial Data Management Tool

First images from e2v imaging sensors on SPOT 6 Earth observation satellite

New Commercial Imaging Spacecraft Progressing at Lockheed Martin as IKONOS Satellite Achieves 13 Years in Operations

SMOS has a better look at salinity

WATER WORLD
Queen's develops new environmentally friendly MOF production method

Drawing a line, with carbon nanotubes

Nano-hillocks: Of mountains and craters

Nanoparticles Glow Through Thick Layer of Tissue




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement