The tide may be turning on Belo Monte

A bit of good news reached us from Brazil yesterday, regarding the Belo Monte Dam. A federal judge suspended any work that would affect the Xingu River, in response to a suit filed by an association of fishermen. The suit claimed that local businesses and communities who live from selling ornamental fish would have their livelihoods destroyed. The judge agreed, and the ruling bans any construction on the river – though it allows for work on the dam site and worker’s houses to continue. In another development, the Mayor of Altamira, where the dam is planned, called on the federal government to halt construction of Belo Monte due to the lack of compliance with emergency mitigation measures that had been established as a pre-condition to receiving the environmental license. The promised schools and health clinics haven’t been built, and thousands are already moving to Altamira. The town is feeling it: the mayor had been a staunch supporter of Belo Monte, thinking it would bring “development”.
The first may be overturned, and the second ignored. But it's a bit of good news, and a sign that Belo Monte is not a ‘done deal’. Hopefully the tide will turn!