|
 The Brazilian electricity crisis has shown
that the lack
of water in the Northeast and the drastic reduction in
the water volume of the São Francisco river clearly
reveal the political inconsistency of transposing
the waters of that river.
By
The fight
against a project for transposing the waters of the São Francisco River was reinforced.
The seminar "São Francisco River: a live-or-die issue," which was held recently
in Cabrobó (state of Pernambuco), proposed the creation of a Permanent Forum in Defense
of the ‘Old Chico’(the São Francisco river) with the participation of
indigenous peoples and social and popular movements of the Northeast region.
The meeting
was attended by about 500 participants from non-governmental, environmental and union
organizations, representatives of the University of Pernambuco and Cimi (Conselho
Indianista Missionário—Indianist Missionary Council) and indigenous leaders of the
Truká, Xukuru, Pipipã (state of Pernambuco), Tuxá, Tumbalalá (state of Bahia),
Xukuru-Kariri, Geripankó (state of Alagoas), and Xokó (state of Sergipe). The
participants pointed our contradictions in the transposition project, which was designed
to remove a large volume of water from the São Francisco river at a moment when Brazil is
rationing electricity for lack of water in major reservoirs.
The project
for transposing the waters of the São Francisco river was designed by the federal
administration for the alleged purpose of solving chronic drought problems in the
Northeast region by making a large volume of its waters available for irrigation projects
in the states of Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba and Pernambuco. The final document
of the seminar, however, reports that "about 70 percent of the water that the project
would make available would be used in large irrigation undertakings in the region and
would not, as alleged, bring any benefits to those who suffer the consequences of the
drought in the above-mentioned states, as only 5 percent of the population of semi-arid
areas in the Northeast would benefit from the project." In the Northeast region, 18
indigenous peoples would be negatively affected by the transposition.
The Brazilian
electricity crisis has shown that the lack of water in the Northeast and the drastic
reduction in the water volume of the São Francisco river clearly reveal the political
inconsistency of the transposition project. According to the federal administration, water
levels in reservoirs of plants that use waters from the São Francisco river are
critically low.
The project
could also meet economic interests of corporations and politicians who will use it to try
to get reelected in 2002. Because of the low water volume in the São Francisco river, the
transposition will only be possible if the waters of the Tocantins river are also
diverted. For this purpose, a dam would be built in the Sono river (a tributary of the
Tocantins river) close to the bounds of the Xerente indigenous area. The course of the
Tocantins river would be modified through pumping, making the transposition and a huge
financial investment possible.
The
participants in the seminar closed the final document requiring, among other measures, the
immediate preparation of a project to revitalize and preserve the São Francisco river and
its tributaries using the public funds set apart for its transposition. They also request
the creation of mechanisms to ensure social control over the use of these funds and of the
waters of the river. Regarding the cyclic drought problem, they state the following:
"We believe that any projects designed to fight drought problems must take into
account the need to restore and preserve traditional knowledge that enables affected
populations to deal with the drought, so that typical cultures of semi-arid regions may be
valued and the caatinga region preserved through
sustainable management practices as a feasible ecosystem for the population of the
region." The final document of the seminar "São Francisco River: a live-or die
issue" was sent to the Federal Prosecution Service, the Chamber of Deputies, the
Federal Senate, the ministry of Mines and Energy, and the Office of the President of the
Republic.
Send
your
comments to
Brazzil
 |
Subscribe to this comment's feed