People Affected by Belo Monte occupy Norte Energias’s resettlements

This Tuesday (04) circa of 200 affected people by the dam of Belo Monte, inhabitants of the areas named “Baixões” (floodplain areas) of Altamira have occupied the Jatobá resettlement of the Norte Energia company.

Every year, at the rain season and the water rising, families who live in neighbourhoods of flood areas and near by the rive shore which crosses the city of Altamira are obliged to encamp at the Exposition Park of the city.

This year there was a great expectation that the Norte Energia company would promote a change for the families affected by Belo Monte before the flood of the Xingu river. But this did not happen, the company delayed on relocating the affected people, the families refuses to abandon their homes to an Exposition Park. “We are treated like animals over there”, said Eliana, one of the inhabitants.

This is why, the affected occupied the resettlement and they only left after a committee of the affected have been received to present the agenda to Norte Energia.

“For a long time already this company promises better days, but we are once again in the flood, we are waiting to long for the company’s response, we are not going to leave”, said Maria da Silva, affected and resident of the Baixões.

Families also complain that what Norte Energia names resettlement are actually bad quality housing, without adequate structures for the families, unlike the company promised: quality houses of different sizes according to the family size and adequate structeres.

The Belo Monte dam is being built at a very rapid pace to start operating in beginig of 2015. The occupation is part of the activities of the struggle campaign of March 14^th, International Day of Struggle of the People Affected by Dams.