Brazil Dam Controversy

Blog 2
Nate Sykes
Time: 3:48 PM
1/28/2011

In Brazil there is arguments about a dam that just got permission from the Brazil's environment agency to put in the amazon river and what environmental affect it will have and how it will socially affect all the river side people that will be displaced because of the flooding creating the dam will cause. The Belo Monte power dam is what the dam is called and was approved by the Brazilian environmental agency. It is a 17million dollar project to build a hydro electric water source for Brazilians fast growing population and economy. There are many conservationist and Native Americans who disapprove of the approval for the building of the dam along the amazon. The Brazilian government said "the 11,000-megawatt project due to start producing electricity in 2015 is crucial to provide power for Brazil's fast growing economy.". They also got permission 588 acres of forest land for the construction sight. Over the years the building of the dam has been slowed down due to protest and riots especially one violent one where indians armed with machettes and clubbs attacked and eletricity offical.

Socially this really affects many people because when the 3.75 mile dam is completed it will flood an aread 3 times the size of washington D.C and displace 30,000 river dwellers in the area. So those people will lose there houses, the belongings they can't take with them like big furniture and then many of them will not have any where to go.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41294097/ns/world_news-world_environment/from/toolbar