(Brasilia, August 22, 1996)
The President of Brazil's Congressional Committee in Defense of the
Consumer, Environment, and Minorities, Dep. Gilney Viana (PT-MT) sent a
letter yesterday to the Minister of Mines and Energy, Raimundo Brito,
reminding him that the Brazilian Congress has still not authorized the
functioning of the Serra da Mesa dam, at the headwaters of the Tocantins
River in Goias state, as required by the Brazilian Constitution, and asked
for a delay in the scheduled October 1 inauguration date for the dam.
According to Dep. Viana, Congressional approval is needed in this case
because of the dam's direct impacts on the Ava-Canoeiro, an isolated group
whose survival could be threatened if the floodgates were closed. The
reservoir created by the dam would flood 2,000 sq. km., including an area
where the Ava-Canoeiro still live without permanent contact with the
national society.
There are very few Ava-Canoeiro remaining, after the group suffered the
effects of massacres during the late 1960's, but the federal Indian
agency, FUNAI, has confirmed that about 12 Ava-Canoeiro have been
identified in the area which would potentially be flooded by the
reservoir. Other Ava-Canoeiro have been repeatedly moved, according to
the stated needs of the dam constructor, the electric utility FURNAS. The
last site to which they were relocated was invaded by 64 squatters. Now,
they are living in a much more arid area than they are accustomed to.
The completion of Serra da Mesa, scheduled to begin generating electricity
in 1998, has been threatened by legal and financial problems. The
Nacional Energetica company, which still holds a controlling interest in
the dam, was a subsidiary of Banco Nacional, which collapsed this year in
a corruption scandal. The sale of the subsidiary is a key part of the
bailout plan, but there are no buyers willing to pay the asking price,
which leaves the Brazilian government liable to com up with the $100
million needed to complete the project.
In September, Dep. Viana's commission will make a site visit to further
investigate the potential impacts of Serra da Mesa on the Ava-Canoeiro.