Struggles of March 14th: victories and repression

During the National Activities of Struggles of March 14th, thousands of people affected by dams mobilized in 10 states to demand a National Policy of Rights for the People Affected by Dams (PNAB) and to denounce the increase of the price of the electric energy fare. Many achievements have been resulted but the policy of repression are still against popular struggles.

The federal government ceded to the speculative capital’s pressure and to PSDB (right-winged Brazilian political party) and authorized a billionaire increase on the energy bill to the population, which is planned to happen after the elections in October. In Altamira, the struggle of those affected by the hydro-power plant Belo Monte obliged the company Norte Energia (responsible for Belo Monte) to assume the agreements to attend the demands of those affected. In Paraná, the mobilization made the state governor, Beto Richa, to compromise with the creation of a state policy for the rights of those affected. In Minas Gerais state, the affected women blocked the circulation of the trains of the mining company Vale do Rio Doce and the Federal Government with the objective to attend the demands of the affected people.

Belo Monte

Last Thursday, people Affected by Belo Monte occupied the Transamazônica to demand immediate solutions from the consortium Norte Energia and to demand from the federal government the approval of the Policy of Rights for those affected. During the blockade, the passage of workers who were going home after the night shift was opened. Many workers who were going to Belo Monte for the day shift joined the protest and denounced the bad working conditions and delivered a denounce letter. In the letter the workers accuse Belo Monte’s Consortia and the trade-union (Sintrapav) of making illegal closed agreements, which are unfavourable to the workers. One of these problems pointed by the workers is that the company stopped paying the “entinas” – time spent in the daily journey between the workers’ lodgement to the work-site and vice-versa-, the concealment committed by the company related to the death of labourers at the construction site, the work overindulgence and that the company stopped paying Christmas food baskets.

With the mobilization the affected by Belo Monte guaranteed a meeting with the directors of Norte Energia and the House of Government. Advances on the following were appointed: Norte Energia (NE) will register all families who were left out from the register which gives the right to be relocated, NE will immediately resettle the registered families in the houses already built; and NE will offer structural assistance in camps for the displaced families by the floods, will also work out on a study on the impacts of the project on the lives of those who work with carts, in addition, the Government ensured the delivery of emergency food.

“Now, more than ever, the struggle and organization of the people affected by dams continues to be the most effective way to ensure our rights,” said Inês Aparecida, dam affected.

Since Belo Monte started to be built, our city suffered with the disorderly population growth, which increased criminality, caused deaths due to traffic accidents, serious problems in the public health system, overloaded the schools, kindergarten and elementary schools don´t have capacity to receive any more students.

Now, during the rain season the situation is worse. Hundreds of families who are still in the low areas of the city are being removed from their homes because of the flood of the Xingu river. The Agro Exposition Park is crowded of sheltered families.

Just as how always business have practice, whenever the people mobilized and fight for their rights, the treatment is legal. The Norte Energia consortium issued a lawsuit against leaders of those affected.

The struggle guarantees victories in all Brazil

In Paraná, after the occupation of the head-quarter of the energy company of Paraná state – COPEL in Cascavel, last Wednesday (12), the governor of the state, Beto Richa, accepted to dialogue with the affected people.

During the meeting with representatives of MAB the governor ceded to the popular pressure and compromised in creating a state policy of rights of the dam affected people. This is an important victory that reinforces the need of a National Policy for Dam Affected People.

The governor compromised to organize a meeting on the 21st with all government organs to treat on the demands of those affected by the Baixo Iguaçu power-plant, besides of guaranteeing the opening of negotiation with the Geração Céu Azul consortium, mediated by Copel. Also declared the partnership with BNDES and other on the creation of a program of development for the affected regions.

In São Paulo, those affected/threatened by dams occupied and liberated the toll passage on the Régis Bittencourt highway, in Juquiá, near to Registro, municipality on the border of the states of São Paulo and Paraná. The protesters raised the gates of the toll and promoted free passage for cars during three hours. The main intention of the act was to aware drivers about the problems of the region that involves local and national agendas, including the creation of a national policy on the rights of populations affected by dams.

In Santa Catarina, in the afternoon of last Friday (14th), members of the MAB and threatened by the Power Plant of Itapiranga had a meeting in the protest in the city of Itapiranga. An agenda of demands were delivered to deputies Father Pedro and Mauro de Nadal. Afterwards, they marched to the office of Eletrosul and Celesc, where they delivered the agenda of demands. Among the reasons of the protest is the high price and bad quality of energy.

In many regions of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, dam affected people denounced the high prices of the energy bill and the bad quality on energy supply in the state. Many losses have been accounted because of the frequent loss of energy supply. In the city of Erechim, MAB delivered a letter to the governor, Tarso Genro, demanding improvements and the restatization of the electric system in the state. In Porto Alegre, students of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul also discussed on an academic week about the dams in the Uruguay river.

Also in Rio Grande do Sul, dam affected protested at the Bi-national Hydro-power Complex Garabi and Panambi. During the morning of Friday (21st), people threatened by the hydroelectric construction occupied the front of the office of the Energetic Consortium of the Uruguay River. Afterwards they marched the streets of the city of Porto Xavier (RS) and blocked the international harbour blocking the passage of cars and people through the ferry that links Brazil to Argentina.

The mobilization rejects the construction and the way the companies responsible for the construction are acting against local population. The riverside population claim clarification about the construction of dams located in the municipalities of Garruchos and Alecrim demanding the immediate creation of a National Policy on Rights of People Affected by Dams.

In Rondonia, in the morning of last Monday (17th), circa of 300 affected by the Hidro-power dam of Samuel blocked the highway of BR 364 to proceed with negotiations with the Governor of the State of Rondonia, Confúcio Moura, INCRA, Eletronorte and Federal government.

In March of 2011, after a protest of the Movement of People Affected by Dams (MAB) in Itapuã do Oeste, the Government of the State compromised to promote dialogue with the movement, guaranteeing that the state would solve pending issues, articulating if necessary with the Federal Government. Three years have passed and nothing of that have happened. The chief secretary of the state of Rondonia, Waldemar Albuquerque promised to arrange a meeting in the next days.

In Bahia, in the city of Sobradinho, circa of 300 dam affected women occupied last Friday (14th) the head-quarter of the hydroelectric company of Sobradinho (Companhia Hidrelétrica de Sobradinho).

The protesters charged from the Chesf company and the Government the repair to the denied and violated rights within the construction of the Sobradinho dam, the cancel of two new other dam projects (Riacho Seco and Pedra Branca) planed for the region and demanded a National Policy of Rights for People Affected by Dams.

The affected denounced the violation of human rights on the construction of dams throughout Brazil. These rights are found in the case studies on dams in Brazil by the Federal Special Commission of “Affected by Dams”, from the the Federal Council for the Human Right Defense (CDDPH). The study shows that the construction of dams is violation of human rights. Particulary, the women affected by dams suffers more obstacles to recover livelihoods.

In the state of Ceará, in the capital city Fortaleza, women affected by dams occupied the National Department of Constructions Against Droughts (DENOCS) to demand solutions for the local agenda and also for all North-east region.

The following agreements were signed: the commitment of the Department of Urban and Agrarian Development to open dialogue with the governor and the commitment to set an agenda for negotiations with the Ministry of National Integration to treat the agenda of the affected populations of the Northeast region and of North of Minas Gerais. There were tangible advances in the claims of those affected by the Figueiredo dam: public tender for pipelines and for the construction of the last houses in the resettlement; construction of toilets in the productiven areas of the resettlement Alagamar and the delivery of 400 ecological stoves in April.