Santo Antônio Dam causes flooding and landslides in Porto Velho

The residents of Triangle, in Porto Velho (RO), have been suffering since the beginning of the year from problems caused by the dam of Santo Antônio. In addition to atypical floods, the strength of the waters caused by opening the floodgates of the dam is causing landslides, leaving families of the river Madeira homeless.

People who live more than 50 years along the river reported that they had never seen such despair. According to one resident, the floods were always strong in March and April, but this year there was a flood in January, with a drop of over 40 meters of embankment. “The fault is the Santo Antonio dam which opens the gates of the dam at night,” he says.

The resident Jacqueline Pimentel said that the phenomenon is unusual and also blames the dam. “Before when the river filled, the bank never broke. Initially, people cheered the rising level, because the low one formed ‘beaches’ at the bottom of their homes. Today, the rising waters devastates everything. “

Families are looking with great concern the urge to leave their neighborhoods and wonder who will pay their losses. “If we even will be relocated, we want to continue living close and with the same neighbors. We do not want to erase our history, “says one resident.

The Movement of People Affected by Dams (MAB) considers this situation very unfortunate and claims that the Santo Antônio Energia consortium, responsible for the dam, recognize the families of the Triangle as directly affected by the dam.