"Dam of Hell"
The territory, Paquiçamba, is located in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, in Brazil’s Pará state. The massive Xingu river winds through the densely overgrown rainforest, composing an important lifeline for the people and animals living here. The river has given life to Nega and her tribe, the Mayans, for centuries. Their territory lies along the Xingu river’s Volta Grande – the large swing. The river has a rich biological diversity. Before the construction of the hydroelectric dam Belo Monte became a reality, more than 350 different species of fish swam below its surface.
The animals are already gone, they cut down the trees in order to build brick houses in which we cannot live, and the fish in the river is almost gone as well.
NEGA, Mayan
“The animals are already gone, they cut down the trees in order to build brick houses in which we cannot live, and the fish in the river is almost gone as well.”
Nega tightens her grip around her youngest son. He is sitting on her hip, curiously paying attention to his mother, who talks and gesticulates eagerly. The smell of burnt trees drifts over the indigenous area, where Nega’s ancestors once settled.
The road is necessary; soon there will not be enough water in the river to travel by boat.NEGA, Mayan
Huge devastations
The banks are now transformed into vast desert-like construction sites. Loud trucks, bulldozers and cranes clear rainforest that is cut and burned to the ground. The forest must give way to a 516 km2 reservoir, dams and canals.
Paquiçamba is not the only indigenous territory directly affected by the giant project. In the nearby town Altamira, more than 40 per cent of the homes will be inundated when the Xingu river is blocked by a five-kilometer wide dam, which by means of a 20-kilometer long artificial canal will lead the water to the main reservoir. In addition, a total of 11 indigenous territories, located along the river banks, will be affected by the giant dam. The Mayans in Volta Grande and the rest of the tribes in Paquiçamba will be hit the hardest. The water flowing in the big meander will be derived, and some 80 per cent of the river will disappear. No one knows for certain what the outcome will be when a large part of the 100-kilometer stretch dries out. The ripple effects are many, however, and they already threaten the livelihood of the people living here.
Because of increased traffic and noise, the animals have fled. According to the indigenous, hunting and fishing will soon be impossible. A new road has therefore been constructed so that Nega and the other members of her tribe may travel directly to Altamira, where they can buy food for money.
“The road is necessary; soon there will not be enough water in the river to travel by boat. Still, the road threatens our tradition and culture. Anybody can come here now – we are not accustomed to civilisation as you know it. I am afraid of the dangers coming with the road,” says Nega. She looks concerned about the children, who have gathered around a large tree in the centre of the village.
Bypassing the law
According to Brazilian law, indigenous territories are to be protected and indigenous people cannot be forced to move from their territories. The areas of the Mayas in Volta Grande and the rest of the tribes in Paquiçamba will therefore not be inundated, as will happen to Altamira. However, by drying up the river, many people believe that the Brazilian authorities are avoiding the law; they remove the livelihood of the people living there without directly forcing them to move. In reality, and just like what happens to an increasing number of communities in the Amazon rainforest, several thousand residents will be forced to leave their homes until Belo Monte is finalised in 2019.
Parents and grandparents have gathered around the tree with the children, who are now running around in the yard, between straw huts, chickens and dogs. The elders stay inside the cabins, seeking shelter from the heat. A man with a big stomach and red cap wanders restlessly between the huts. As village chief, he keeps the newly arrived journalists under close supervision. He is the supreme leader of 25 families; 118 persons in total – one of many Mayan tribes in the Brazilian rainforest.
Our families have lived here for generations. This is our home.
VILLAGE CHIEF
“Can you imagine a future here when the water disappears?”
“We wish to live here for as long as we manage, also after the dam is completed. We know it will not be easy; we are used to fishing, eating and sleeping in nature, and we are not able to live like that any more. But, we are these forests. Our families have lived here for generations. This is our home.”
Cultural murder
Many doubt the Mayan chief will manage to keep his words when the dam is finished. Thais Silva works as a state prosecutor in Altamira, a position created by the Brazilian authorities to ensure correct and fair processes. She is among those who believe Belo Monte will force indigenous people to leave their homes and territories.
“The Juruna and Maya tribes will most likely have to leave their territories. It will be too hard for them to stay put when the construction of Belo Monte is completed. They are fishermen, and without the river they lose their livelihood.”
Her office is situated in Alta Mira’s most modern building; she is sitting behind piles of yellow paper folders and other documents. More than twenty times has she taken the developer company Norte Energia and the government to court since the Belo Monte construction started. She believes Norte Energia has not adhered to or implemented the conditions set prior to and during the construction.
“The indigenous peoples of the Xingu river have not received what they were promised in advance. Among other things, programmes to ensure education and health services for the indigenous population were supposed to be implemented. Instead, each village received monthly payments of 30,000 reais (some 9,000 USD),” she says.
With their pockets full of money, the indigenous people went to town and bought ready made meals, sugar, alcohol, CD players and TVs. The money also created internal quarrels and divisions within the tribal communities. Despite the fact that this practice has now stopped and Norte Energia was forced to present a new plan for preservation and protection, the damage is irreparable, according to Silva.
“We still do not know how big the consequences of this will be, but I know the damage is enormous. What has happened to the indigenous people of the Xingu river is a cultural murder, and Norte Energia has violated human rights,” says Silva.
What has happened to the indigenous people of the Xingu river is a cultural murder.THAIS SILVA, state prosecutor
The road to more criminality
Some kilometres down the Xinu river from Nega and her village, we meet Marino Felix, chief of the Juruna tribe. He has realised that the fight against Belo Monte is lost. The dam will come, but in the meantime, the chief does what he can to protect his people and their culture.
“The fight against Belo Monte has been long, and we have gone through many stages. There is no one anymore who fights to stop its construction, that fight is already lost. But, if we are going to be able to continue living here, we need someone to help us look after the village. We are not prepared to meet the dangers that will come with the road,” he says.
Silva agrees; also she fears that violence and criminality will find their way into indigenous areas via the newly constructed roads. “These are people used to living in peace and tranquillity, without any contact with the outside world. They do not know of crime, and we have to take precautions,” says Silva.
She believes people will need guards that can protect them from all those who suddenly gain access to their area. “The Brazilian environmental authority, IBAMA, does not understand how urgent this is, because it is not present here. In Altamira, IBAMA has one or two employees, but they do not understand. It makes me sad,” she says.
Frustrated helpers
FUNAI, a government agency created to ensure indigenous survival and rights, also fears for the future of the people of the Xingu river. The employees are frustrated, because without money, they cannot meet the needs of the indigenous people.
“We do not have the resources needed. We sit in rented facilities, with a couple of computers and bad internet, and we are too few,” says one of the local staff in Altamira. She wants to be anonymous; she is afraid of losing her job, and tells us about all the compromising that has been going on in the Belo Monte project.
Deforestation has increased dramatically in certain areas. The indigenous are left helpless.
FUNAI employee
“The indigenous people have lost faith in FUNAI; they do not think we can help them. Sometimes I even doubt it myself. There are so many aspects of this project that threaten the continued existence of these societies. The workers at the dam have caused an enormous population growth, and because of the high living costs in Altamira, many go to the indigenous territories. Belo Monte also opens up for infrastructure and construction of illegal roads. Deforestation has therefore increased dramatically in certain areas. The indigenous are left helpless.”
It is impossible to predict the future, but we know that we are going to have much to do.MARCELO SALAZAR, Instituto Socioambiental
Negative repercussions
Belo Monte is just one of a total of 414 hydropower plants currently in operation, under construction or planning in the Amazon rainforest.
“The government has the notion that the Amazon rainforest is an inexhaustible source, and it is impossible to fight it. The government justifies projects such as Belo Monte saying that it produces clean energy and that it will not have any seriously negative consequences, but that is far from the truth. Such projects open up for further industrial and infrastructure projects, as we already see with the Belo Sun mining project,” says Marcelo Salazar, who works for the research-based organisation ISA (Instituto Socioambiental).
For the past 20 years, Salazar has followed the Belo Monte project from Altamira. Like many people here, he is frustrated with the way the authorities and Norte Energias are handling the indigenous population.
“Belo Monte has good sides too, but it comes at the cost of very much, especially for the indigenous people and people who live in this part of Brazil. In addition, they will now open for mining in Volta Grande. Some say that there will be gold everywhere after the water sinks,” he says.
Close to the Paquiçamba, mining at the Xingu river banks is being planned for. The first license has already been approved, and like Belo Monte, the project seems to be inevitable.
“There are no studies combining the consequences of both Belo Monte and Belo Sun; they are not measurable. But, the consequences will be fatal for the people in the area. It is impossible to predict the future, but we know that we are going to have much to do,” says Salazar.
Forced to flee
Indigenous groups along the Xingu river have fought in generations for their right to land. Since the late 1800s, when they fought against the rubber industry, until today, parts of their culture and language have been lost. The assignment of indigenous territories, and the laws relating to them, gave people an opportunity to rebuild the culture, nature and their lives. Now, the high energy demand is about to gag the measures taken to preserve these cultures. The indigenous people in Volta Grande and the inhabitants of what was a small community in the middle of the rainforest will soon be forced to flee. The struggle for indigenous rights, existence and heritage, have this time lost to market forces. Much indicates that the same forces will win more fights before the world’s green lung will be able to breathe again.