Brazil to Open Indigenous Lands to Dams, Mining, and Military Bases in “National Interest”http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0726-brazil-indigenous-directive.html |
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Jeremy Hance
mongabay.com
July 26, 2012
Three engineers are being held hostage by the Juruna and Arara indigenous tribes as tensions rise over the on-going construction of the Belo Monte dam in Brazil, reports the Indigenous rights NGO Amazon Watch. The company building the dam, Norte Energia, has confirmed that three of its employees were being held against their will. Tribal groups in the region say the massive dam will upend their way of life, and that construction is already making travel along the Xingu river difficult.
The $11 billion Belo Monte is expected to flood more than 40,000 hectares of rainforest, displacing 16,000 people according to the government and 40,000 according to critics. Eighty percent of the Xingu’s flow will be rerouted, impacting fish migrations and perhaps even sending some species into extinction. If completed, the dam will be the world’s third largest. Continue reading “Tribes hold 3 engineers in Belo Monte struggle”
The Free 