Protests mount Against Brazil's Mega Water Diversion Project

Some of Brazil's largest social movements are mounting campaigns of resistance against the Lula Government's decision to proceed with the construction of the mega water diversion project on the São Francisco River, known as Transposição do rio São Francisco, in Northeast Brazil.

The São Francisco river diversion project - Lula’s folly

After two years frustrated trials to estabish a dialogue between social movements and the government to democratically discuss the Sao Francisco River diversion project, Bishop Luiz Cappio resumes his hunger strike on 27th of november 2007: an desperate attempt to draw public attention to this imminent disaster!

The construction of one of the most controversial mega-projects of the Lula government is in full swing (see the attached map at bottom of page). With this megalomaniac enterprise, known as the Transposição do rio São Francisco, which will predominantly benefit export-oriented agro-business, President Lula says he wants to make history in the poor semi-arid region of Northeast Brazil. But this controversial project reveals severe political, economic and regional conflicts of interests. And, it is criticized by experts as well as legal authorities.

However, since the beginning of the year the government is forcing the start-up of construction by all possible means, disregarding the project´s ecological and social consequences. The euphoria about bio-fuels, especially sugarcane alcohol has brought additional pressure to irrigate land for sugar cane plantations. The ambition to encourage export-orientated agro-business in the Northeast is used by the Lula government to justify the building the project by any means necessary.

Since the beginning of June, military battalions are in charge for the construction works for the canals. This government procedure, ignoring ongoing legal complaints brought by opponents of the project evokes memories of Brazil´s military dictatorship. In many aspects the plan leads us to remember the megalomaniac projects of the 1970´s, such as the infamous Trans-Amazon highway construction.

The Landless Workers’ Movement (MST), Movement of Dam–Affected People (MAB), Movement of Small Farmers (MPA), the Pastoral Land Commission (CPT), the Pastoral Fishers Commission (CPP) and many other social movements have formed a unique alliance with fishing communities and indigenous people to halt the beginning of construction through radical non-violent actions.

The Mega-Project

The São Francisco river diversion project includes the construction of two canals 400 and 220 km long, which are supposed to transport 26.3 m3/s of water from the São Francisco River to other smaller rivers in the Northeast (see map below, canals in yellow). The considerable difference in altitude has to be overcome by pumping the water up 165m (northern canal) and 364m (eastern canal). In total the project includes nine pumping stations, 27 aqueducts, eight tunnels and 35 water reservoirs as well as two hydroelectric plants.

According to the current version of the project, 70% of the water will be destined for irrigation purposes, 26% for urban use (mainly by the city of Fortaleza) and the remaining 4% for the rural population. The principal winners of the project will be the agro-industrial sector (e.g. fruit and sugarcane plantations and shrimp farms). But the official propaganda cleverly utilizes the problems of rural water distribution and the resulting misery to make the billions of dollars in investment acceptable in the public´s mind. In fact, the poor riverine communities including artisanal fisherfolk, indigenous people and small farmers, whose livelihood entirely depends on the river will be the big losers. Instead of democratizing water resources, this mega-project will further concentrate control in the hands of the ruling elite.

Even international donors could not be convinced of the benefits of this plan. A World Bank study argues against granting a loan for the project, since the positive effects on poverty reduction could not be proven. The principal financing strategy will be the transferring of project costs to water users. With the São Francisco River diversion, water costs are expected to rise five-fold. This means that once again Brazilian taxpayers are supposed to pay the costs of promoting the export of agricultural goods.

The São Francisco River diversion is an extremely costly enterprise with very doubtful social benefits. The project will consume half of all public investment in water infra-structure, as defined in the Program for Acceleration of Economic growth (PAC). Over the next four years investments of 6.6 billion Reais (2.4 billion Euros, or US$3.4 billion) are earmarked for the project. Its yearly operational expenses are estimated to R$ 93.8 million Reais ( 34.1 million Euros or US$48.6 million).

There are much cheaper and more effective alternatives to the diversion project. A recent study carried out by the National Water Agency (ANA) shows that the water supply problem faced by populations of the northeast region can be solved through 530 decentralized projects in 1,112 municipalities, at half the cost of the diversion project.

Critics of the project point out that the problem of the semi-arid region is not the lack of availability of water but rather the unfair distribution of existing water resources, such as the 37 million m³ of water retained in the more than 70.000 small, medium and large reservoirs and dams in the region. The drought problem in the Northeastern semi-arid region requires effective management of available water, and cannot be solved through one single pharaonic project.

The Supreme Court is still analyzing the legality of the construction permits. Several legal aspects are questioned: the lack of authorization from the National Congress for use of water resources on indigenous lands; lack of a clear consideration of the impacts that the project may cause on the region´s historical, archaeological, artistic, cultural and architectural heritage; and impacts on traditional populations in the São Francisco River watershed. Furthermore, the destination of the transferred water for irrigation purposes disregards the decision made by the São Francisco River Basin Committee, which approved the use of this water only for human and animal consumption.

Many experts also point to the fact that this government project completely ignores climate change scenarios. According to independent studies, the impacts of global warming in Northeastern Brazil will mean a decrease in 20% in the flow of the São Francisco River.

The decision on which construction companies will be contracted for the project will be made in September. However, one of the construction consortiums in the running to build one of the costliest section of the canals is currently involved in a huge corruption scandal, and is under investigation by the Federal Police. These scandals confirm the suspicion that the diversion project is yet another mega-project conceived to divert public resources to the powerful building industry, to corrupt companies that provide illegal financing of election campaigns.

The missing dialogue with affected populations

So far, the most startling protest action against the São Francisco diversion project was the eleven-day hunger strike by Bishop Dom Luiz Cappio in October 2005, which drew wordwide attention to the issue. The condition for ending the hunger strike was a dialogue process between the government and civil society representatives. But the government´s promise of a longer-term public debate with affected people was not kept.

The objections of people who live in the São Francisco River area and whose livelihoods depend on the river are not being heard. Indigenous people of the Truká, Tingui-Botó, Pankararu, Kiriri, Atikum and Tuxá peoples, quilombola communities (descendants of escaped African slaves who set up autonomous communities), fishermen and small farmers are systematically ignored in official project studies.

During this year, many protest actions were organized by the traditional riverine communities. The highlight was a one week protest camp in Brasília in March as well as the e occupation of the construction site in end of June and beginning of July. A diverse group of social movements, indigenous groups and environmental organizations gathered near the military bases in the middle of the semi-arid region in the region of Cabrobó, Pernambuco. However, the Integration Ministry, responsible for the project, did not change its position in any way. The refusal to dialogue with the public is leading to the radicalization of the protest against the authoritarian top-down policy of the government.

After two years frustrated trials to estabish a dialogue between social movements and the government to democratically discuss the polemic Sao Francisco River diversion project, Bishop Luiz Cappio resumes his hunger strike on 27th of november 2007: an desperate attempt to draw public attention to this imminent disaster!

Pastoral Land Commission (CPT) –Salvador, Bahia state, 27 November, 2007
Contact: Peoples´ Coalition for the Restoration of the São Francisco River
(Articulação Popular Pela Revitalização do Rio São Francisco)
fone: +55-71-87145724, +55-74 36113550
Email: apoio.dom.cappio@gmail.com [1]