MAB organised march against Belo Monte

Hundreds of people marched this morning in the streets of Altamira protesting against the construction of the Belo Monte dam and claiming rights for those affected. The action is part of the national day of struggle of the Movement of People Affected by Dams (MAB) which marks the International Day of struggle against dams, for rivers, water and life, celebrated worldwide today on March 14th.

The participants walked from the municipal forum, passed the seat of the power distributor, Celpa, the Ministry of Home Affairs until the headquarters of Northern Energy, the consortium responsible for the construction of Belo Monte. They reported that a strong police guard was present in order to intimidate the protest, however the protesters were confident and the march continued with an increasing number of participants.

In Altamira militants of MAB from Tucuruí, Itaituba, Maraba and Altamira are mobilising since yesterday. They distribute pamphlets in neighborhoods and communities warning for the risks by dams and informing about the importance
of organising themselves and struggling to guarantee their rights. A recently published survey of the Institute of Technology from the Federal University of Pará (UFPA) concluded that the number of inhabitants of Altamira that will be directly impacted by the flooding of the lake of the hydroelectric plant of Belo Monte will be 55% higher than reported in
studies of environmental impacts of the project. The survey shows that in total 25,400 inhabitants will be affected and not 16,400.

The national day of struggle MAB started yesterday in several Brazilian cities, focusing on the state-owned electricity sector. The demonstrations continue today and all militants ask the cancellation of the dam Belo Monte. “Belo Monte is a nationally and internationally case. We have to expose to the world our disagreement over the construction of this dam. The fight against Belo Monte is one of our priorities during this journey” said Roger Hohn, coordination of MAB.