On 1 August a group of about 250 people, who live in
the area of Para state affected by the Tucurui
hydroelectric power plant, occupied the offices of
Eletronorte, the state electricity company, in the
town of Tucurui. They are protesting about the
company's failure to take effective action to control
a plague of mosquitoes, which has made life in some
communities almost impossible.
Tucurui was built to supply power to the industries
that were created as part of the Greater Carajas
Programme. [In particular it provides energy to the
pig iron smelters in Para, the Alumar aluminium
smelting plant in the state of Maranhao and Abras in
Para. Alumar is owned by Billington/Shell, Alcoa
and Camargo Correa, while Albras is owned by a
Japanese consortium called Nippon Amazon Aluminium
Company - NALCO - and the Brazilian state mining
corporation Companhia do vale do Rio Doce - CVRD.]
Tucurui, which is on the Tocantins river, was the
first major hydroelectric plant in the Amazon and it
began to operate in 1984. Many peasant families who
were forced to relocate have never been compensated.
Indigenous groups like the Gaviao da Montanha and the
Parakana lost much of their land and their population
sharply declined.
Ecological problems have only worsened as the years
have passed. The Tocantins river upstream from the
dam is so polluted as to make fishing impossible,
creating problems for the families living on the
riverbank. But the worst ecological problem may be
the proliferation of mosquitoes along the shores of
the reservoir. More than 1500 families or about 8000
people, including the Parakana Indians, are affected
by the plague of mosquitoes.
In some areas, people report, the situation is so
extreme that they are being bitten 500 times in an
hour, making it impossible for farmers to tend their
crops.
In 1989 the rural workers union of the towns affected
campaigned for a commission to be set up to examine
the extent of the problem. A Commission was formed
which included representatives of Eletronorte, the
Rural Workers'Union, INPA (the Brazilian Institute of
Amazonian Research) and the Brazilian Environmental
Protection Agency, IBAMA and its report was published
in January 1990. The report concluded that the
dramatic increase in the mosquito population was
directly attributable to the environmental change
following the formation of the lake and the selection
of poor sites for resettlement. The clearing of
hillsides had caused layers of soil to be carried
down in streambeds, creating favourable environments
for breeding mosquitos. Furthermore failure to clear
the forest before the area was flooded had meant that
the floating deadwood and plant mass encouraged the
proliferation of aquatic plants and, therefore of
mosquitoes.
The report cautioned that "any solution to the
problem ... will only show results in the medium and
long term". (source: Relatorio da Comissao de Estudos
da Proliferacao de Mosquitos a Montante de Tucurui,
1990: 26-27)
Despite these findings and the warning that the
plague was reaching calamitous proportions and was
liable to spread, no action has been taken. The
Commission recognised that "living conditions for
both human beings and animals are extremely
unhealthy" but it did not make recommendations for
the solution of the problem. This was to be subject
to negotiations between Eletronorte and
representatives of the resettled communities. But
there has been no progress. In March 1991 the mayor
of the town of Tucurui declared a state of emergency,
which prompted the state legislature to set up a
Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry to study the
problem and to make recommendations on how to tackle
the environmental impact of the Tucurui Hydroproject.
But for those people forced to live in the
resettlement areas the situation has become
intolerable. They have reacted with indignation to
the dilatory response of the power company to their
plight and are concerned that its proposal to bring
the outbreak under control through the use of
pesticides will simply add to the ecological problems
of the area.
The situation in the town of Tucurui remains tense
and Eletronorte is seeking an injunction to have the
occupation brought to an end through the intervention
of state police.
The protesters are calling on Eletronorte to provide
compensation for those families who may have to leave
the area because conditions have become intolerable
and for medical attention for those who have fallen
ill with malaria as a result of the plague. Thirdly,
they want Eletronorte to set up a committee to study
their claims for full compensation for all the damage
that the construction of the dam has caused them.
NGOs are urged to send telexes of faxes asking for
the Brazilian authorities:
- to show restraint in bringing the occupation
to and end;
- to give urgent consideration to the immediate
implementation of environmentally sound measures to
control the mosquito outbreak;
- and to provide full compensation to those who
have lost their homes and livelihoods or who have
suffered other damage to their physical well-being as
a result of construction of the dam.
Tricia Feeney
Development Policy Unit
OXFAM-UK/I
Addresses:
Ilmo Sr Jader Barbalho
Governor of the State of Para
telex: 091-1012
Sr Afonso Tiago Simas
President of Eletronorte
Brasilia
telex: 061-1279
Maria Tereza Fernandes Serra
Departamento de Meio Ambiente (Environment Department
of State Electricity
Eletrobras Company)
Rio de Janeiro
FAX:021-252-9806
Telex: 021-22395