People affected by dams blocks highway in Rondonia

500 protestors demands a position of the federal government in relation to the occupation Nova Mutum, that suffers threat of repossession suit.

Since the morning of this Monday (1^st of June), circa of 500 people affected by dams blocked the highway that gives access to the Jirau Hydropower plant, 100 kilometers far from the state’s capital Porto Velho (RO). Members of the Movement of People Affected by Dams (MAB) demand an immediate intervention of the federal government in relation to the occupation of Nova Mutum.

Since April 16, circa of six thousand people affected by the power dams Jirau and Santo Antônio, and people affected by the last flooding of the Madeira River in 2014 occupied 564 houses build by the company Sustainable Energy of Brazil (ESBR), consortium responsible for Jirau dam. These houses were used by workers during the construction of the power plant. With the end of the construction the houses were disoccupied; but have not met the conditions established by the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Natural Resources (IBAMA) at the Jirau Operating License. According to the technical opinion of IBAMA, the houses “after use for workers during construction were to be donated to the Municipality of Porto Velho for social allocation.”

However, the houses were sold by the ESRB to the construction company Camargo Correa, company which is suiting repossession of the property against the people affected living in this houses at Nova Mutum. This suit is granted by the Judge Danilo Augusto Kanthac, of the State of Rondônia Court, charging a daily fine of 700 Reais per person for the non-compliance of the decision of repossession of the properties.

According to member of MAB, there is a serious illegality in this suit. “The Jirau consortium could not have sold these houses to Camargo Correa. Those affected can not be driven from homes that rightfully belongs to them”said one of the state coordinators of MAB, Océlio Muniz.

MAB demands the intervention of the federal government to articulate an emergency meeting with the Sustainable Energy consortium Brazil, to reach an agreement on the future of more than two thousand families currently living in the resettlement Nova Mutum. As result of this Monday’s protest this emergency meeting is agreed to happen next week.