Source: Andrew Marshall
The Chilean national power company ENDESA (Empresa Nacional de Electridad)
has set up major development projects is the construction of 6 hydroelectric
power plants on the upper river Biobio: at Llanquen/Ranquil, Ralco, Pangue,
Aguas Blancas, Huequecura and Quitraman. Their construction will result in
the submergence of about 25,000 acres on the traditional area of 3 Pehuenche
indigenous communities. The local peoples have been neither invited to
participate in the decision process nor even informed in time about the
possible submergence of their land and other negative impacts of the
development.
The project was begun during the authoritarian dictatorship of Pinochet,
and the first dam was completed at Pangue during the Alwyn government, and
has already inundated 500 hectares. The Pehuenche traditionally are a
seasonally nomadic hunting-gathering people. Many do not have official
title to the land they rely on and have been frequent victims of land-
grabbing and harvest robbery in the past. The land they were resettled
onto after Pangue was built is a fraction of the size of their original
territoty and the Pehuenche have been forced to give up their traditional
seminomadic lifestyle. Questions about the agricultural quality of their
new land and exteremely limited access to water severely threatens the
Pehuenche's ability to feed themselves.
The indigenous peoples also lost their ancestral cemeteries and places of
worship. The necessary funds to cover the Pangue project amounted to US$470
million. The World Bank subsidiary IFC offered a $150 million loan and
Swedish and Norwegian development agencies came up with another $35
million. At the end of 1995, a victim's support group brought up the case
to the World Bank inspection panel, questioning the resettlement scheme and
the effectiveness of environmental protection measures. The inspection
panel promised to study the consequences of the Pangue project and to draw
conclusions concerning the forthcoming plant at Ralco.
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Please write and mail or fax letters to Mr Eduardo Frey Ruiz-Tagle, the
President of the Republic of Chile. A sample copy follows:
Please send a copy of your letter to the IFC, and also voice your concerns
to the Swedish and Norwegian embassies in your country.
Addresses:
Mr Eduardo Frey Ruiz-Tagle
Presidente de la Republica de Chile
Santiago de Chile
Chile
Fax: +56 2 696 8740/697 3262
J. Lindbeack
Vice-President, IFC
The World Bank
1818 H Street NW
Washington, DC 20433 USA
Dear Sir,
Recently, I received alarming information concerning the construction of 6
hydroelectric power plants on the river Biobio, partly financed by IFC and
Scandinavian agencies. According to newspaper reports and other documents
available to me, the project has started to destroy the traditional
resources and the way of life of the Pehuenche Indians traditionally
living along the river. Once completed, the hydroelectric development
project would submerge 25,000 hectares.
The construction of the first dam at Pangue has resulted in violations of
the Pehuenche communities' economic and cultural rights: They were never
involved in the decision-making process concerning their ancesrtal land.
They lost their land, including access to resources and places of worship.
The reselttlement scheme did not take into account their semi-nomadic
culture and have only questionable access to the river's water. I fear that
the other plants will further violate the indigenous people's right to feed
themselves.
Chile is a state party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social,
and Cultural Rights. Chile is therefore duty-bound to respect their right
to feed themselves as recognized in this Covenant. Furthermore, the
indigenous law of 1993(#19.353) protects indigenous land from being grabbed
by a third party.
I ask you not to go ahead with construction of the Ralco dam unless the
following preconditions are fulfilled:
-Provide the Pehuenche communities along the Biobio river with land titles
over their traditional territories for hunting and gathering;
-Involve the Pehuenche communities in the decision-making process
concerning their traditional area;
-Ensure that any resettlement scheme for the affected communities living in
an area of submergence guarantees adequate access to new land and
resources.
Yours sincerely,
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South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC)
P.O. Box 28703
Oakland CA, 94604
Phone: (510)834-4263 Fax: (510)834-4264
Email: saiic@igc.apc.org
Office: 1714 Franklin Street, 3rd Floor, Oakland
Home Page: http://www.igc.apc.org/saiic/saiic.html
For more information about SAIIC, send an empty email message to:
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