Affected People

"Newly Displaced Population," 2004 Liu Xiaodong, Courtesy of the Mary Boone Gallery, New York The reservoir of the Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest and most controversial hydropower project, was scheduled to reach its final height in November 2009 at 175 meters. The 660 kilometer-long reservoir displaced 1.3 million people and is wreaking havoc with the environment. Many of its impacts, including landslides and water pollution, are only now becoming apparent. China will need to deal with the project's legacy for generations to come. As the project has been completed, Intern"Wa

Map of Area Directly Impacted by Belo Monte Dam from Belo Monte EIA What would be the true environmental, social, and economic costs of Belo Monte Dam? New studies by a group of independent experts have highlighted the serious consequences the dam would have for the region, its inhabitants, and ecosystems of the Amazon rainforest. Belo Monte, which with an installed generating capacity of 11,231 MW would be the world's third largest dam, and its complex array of two powerhouses, artificial canals, huge dykes, two reservoirs, spillways, ports, roads, and work camps would devastate more than 1,

"Acho que engenharia é uma coisa muito séria para ser praticada por pessoas que são mentirosas como este grupo que inventou e está tocando o projeto de Belo Monte há vinte anos. São mentirosos e agora estas mentiras estão começando a vir à tona, felizmente". A afirmação é do professor Oswaldo Sevá, que faz, nesta entrevista que concedeu à IHU On-Line por telefone, uma crítica à construção da hidrelétrica de Belo Monte. Entre as consequências que a obra gerará, Sevá destaca que um lugar belíssimo conhecido como Volta Grande será completamente modificado. Ele indaga: "Por

"Insanidade é fazer sempre as mesmas coisas, esperando resultados diferentes"Albert Einstein.A todo momento a mídia está divulgando entrevistas com representantes do governo federal ou diretores da Eletronorte e Eletrobrás anunciando as datas para a emissão da licença prévia e o leilão da usina hidrelétrica de Belo Monte. Uma última declaração do ministro de Minas e Energia, Edison Lobão, nos chamou a atenção. Afirma que "a sociedade não pode ser penalizada com energia mais cara, porque os ambientalistas e ONGs atrapalham a construção das hidrelétricas". Como pôde afirmar q

The true costs of the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Project, planned for the Xingu River in the Brazilian Amazon, have been revealed in an independent review by a panel of 40 specialists. The panel found that the dam would have serious consequences for the region, its inhabitants, and ecosystems of the Amazon rainforest. The panel - comprised of scientists from major Brazilian research institutions - reviewed the project's environmental impact assessment and delivered a 230-page report to Ibama, the Brazilian government's environmental agency, on October 1st, 2009. One of the mo

Resumo Executivo do relatório do Painel de Especialistas sobre Belo Monte

Especialistas vinculados a diversas Instituições de Ensino e Pesquisa identificam e analisam, de acordo com a sua especialidade, graves problemas e sérias lacunas no EIA de Belo Monte.

On September 8, 2009, International Rivers sent a letter to the World Bank (WB) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) Executive Directors on the key issues that must be addressed before Nam Theun 2 begins commercial operation. Woman in Sop Ma resettlement village in the Nakai Plateau is planting rice and corn in NTPC's allocated 0.66ha of land. A copy of the letter was also sent to the U.S Department of the Treasury and the Nam Theun 2 Power Corporation (NTPC). The letter addresses International Rivers' main concerns and recommendations based on a site visit in May 2009, when International Rivers