Exmo Sr. Presidente da República
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
C/Cópias para:
Exma Sra. Ministra das Minas e Energia
Dilma Roussef
Exma Sra. Ministra do Meio Ambiente
Marina Silva
Exmo Sr. Governador de Minas Gerais
Aécio Neves
Exmo Secretário de Meio Ambiente de Minas Gerais
José Carlos Carvalho
Amsterdam, 15 March 2004
Dear President,
We, the undersigning organisations, want to express our concerns regarding the
construction of the Murta hydroelectric dam. This project is located in the
Jequitinhonha Valley, Minas Gerais (Brazil), and is owned by the Murta
Consortium which is composed of the following companies: Logos Arcadis
Engenharia, S. A, Eptisa and EIT (Engenharia Industrial e Técnica S. A).
The Murta Dam is designed to have a capacity of approximately 120 MW. It will
be located in a region that is characterized by the instability of rainfall levels and
the scarcity of arable land. The implementation of this project will require the
flooding of 20,6 km2 of arable land currently used to grow crops, leading to the
displacement of about 900 families (approximately 4,500 people) from their land.
The families live from small-scale agriculture carried out along the fertile banks of
the river and from the artisanal mining of precious stones (mainly turmalin). The
construction of the Murta dam will deprive these families of their means of
livelihood. The social and environmental impacts of the Murta dam project will be
aggravated by the accumulated impacts of dams already implemented along the
Rio Jequitinhonha, such as the Irapé dam, located upstream to the reservoir of
the Murta project. Together, these two dams will flood more than 170 Km of the
Jequitinhonha Valley, affecting about 2,000 families, a total of 10,000 riverside
dwellers. The lack of land available for resettlement has already been proven
through the recent difficulties experienced when attempts to relocate the 5,500
people affected by the Irapé dam were made. There is no land available where
the affected people can continue with their modes of living, based on family
agriculture and artisanal collection of precious stones. We want to underline the
fact that these are not families living in misery; these are families able to sustain
themselves and to generate monetary income as independent producers. The
compulsory dislocation of these traditional communities will result in the
disruption of their traditional way of life and family ties.
The licensing process for this project has been long drawn out and is still
incomplete. In May 2003 FEAM (Fundação Estadual de Meio Ambiente de Minas
Gerais) requested that the Murta Consortium submit additional studies to
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complement the original Environmental Impact Assessment (presented in 1998),
within a period of 4 months. On September 12th 2003 the Murta Consortium failed
to comply with this demand and requested a postponement of the deadline until
February 2004. Thus, adequate studies proving the economic, environmental and
social feasibility of the project have not yet been submitted.
In view of the irregularity of rainfall patterns in the Jequitinhonha Valley, one of
the driest regions in Brazil, it is questionable whether additional hydroelectric
dam construction is the most viable energy production option for the
Jequitinhonha Valley. The potential for alternative sustainable energy sources,
such as solar power, should be investigated first. It is also questionable whether
the financial burden which the construction of this dam could place on the
resources of the state of Minas Gerais is the most efficient allocation of state
resources.
Having outlined our concerns regarding the Murta dam project, we request that
the Brazilian government effect a moratorium on the development of this dam
and consider alternative sustainable energy sources for the Jequitinhonha Valley.
The Murta dam project is being rejected by a large number of social movements
and organisations within Brazil concerned about the social and environmental
costs of a dam which has yet to be proven to be necessary. As international
organisations committed to the sustainable use of natural resources, we support
the stance of these social movements and organisations within Brazil, and ask
you to inform us as to how the Brazilian government intends to assure the
effective implementation of its social and environmental responsibilities in the
State of Minas Gerais.
We look forward to your response and are happy to provide further information
on any of the points raised above.
Yours sincerely,
Sjef Langeveld
Director
Both ENDS
The Netherlands
Wolfgang Hees,
Latin America Desk Officer
Caritas International
Kirsten Bredenbeck
KoBra
Germany
Barbara Happe
Urgewald eV
Germany
Dr. Rolf Künnemann
Secretary General
FoodFirst Information and Action
Network – Germany
Roberto A. Epple
Founder President European Rivers
Network
Président SOS Loire Vivante
France
Glenn Switkes
International Rivers Network
Alcides Faria
Executive Secretary
Rios Vivos Coalition
Jean Pierre Leroy
Brasil Sustentável e Democrático /
FASE
Brazil
Klemens Laschefski
BUND- Friends of the Earth Germany
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Vilmar Schneider
FIAN - Food First Information and
Action Network
Germany
Lúcia Ortiz
GT Energia
Friends of the Earth Brazil