Argentina | Brazil | Chile | Colombia |

 

Argentina

Residents of Misiones Province Hold Demonstrations

Residents of Misiones Province, Argentina organized a march through places that would be affected by the Corpus Christi and Garabi 21 Dams. On March 13 and 14, there were demonstrations against the Yacyreta and Urugua-I Dams, which have already been built in the province.

Contact

Valeria Beatriz Franco
Email: ultracibervale [at] hotmail [dot] com

Petition to Foreign Minister

PROTEGER submitted a letter to the Foreign Minister, Jorge Taiana, requesting information on the management of Paraná River flows. Due to the large dams of Itaipú and Binational Yacyretá, the water levels are currently at their lowest.

Read the Letter

Contact

Web: www.proteger.org.ar/represas

Distribution of Information

Information about dams and why they shouldn't be built was distributed through newspapers and in schools. The information also discussed how high quality water should be available to everyone and why water should not be privatized.

There was also a radio talk show on rivers.

 

Chile

Demonstration at the Plaza da la Cultura

At the Plaza da la Cultura (Plaza of Culture) in Santiago, Chile, there was a demonstration and march on Tuesday March 17^th, to protest plans for dams on San Pedro, Pascua, Puelo, Fuy, Maipo rivers, among many others.

Contact

Consejo de Defensa de la Patagonia Chilena
Phone: 02-7772534
Email: comunica [at] codeff [dot] cl

Cultural Gathering

Demonstration at Rio Ibanez

On Saturday March 14^th, on the Ibanez River in the Aysen Region of Patagoinia, local organizations planned a cultural event to celebrate their river, water, life and denounce the fact that local people are being denied water rights for local agricultural and ranching activities due to the fact that the rights to water in the river are owned by EndesaChile (subsidiary of EndesaEspana and the Italian multinational ENEL). The fact that local economic activities are being denied due to the rights to the water being in the hands of foreign multi-national corporations is outrageious to the local people of Patagonia.

Protest

Demonstration in Chile

On Tuesday March 17^th, people and organizations from all over Chile gathered in Santiago in front of La Mondeda, the presidential palace, in order to protest the multitude of giant hydroelectric projects being proposed on rivers throughout the country. More and more often in Chile, the fight to protect rivers in Patagonia has become viewed as the fight to protect rivers throughout the country, and the activities of the International Day of Action for Rivers are a successful integration of locally based activities and a growing national consciousness of the threat that Chile's river communities are facing.

Watch a video of the demonstration.

Workshop
On March 18^th, there was a workshop and discussion on water.

 

Brazil

Extension Project at Universidade Federal de Vicosa

On Thursday March 12, a professor at the Universidade Federal de Vicosa in Minas Gerais, Brazil, coordinated a series of activities.

• At noon, the film Narradoves de Jave was shown to a student audience.
• At 18:30, there was an exposition of photos and posters of activities and projects of MAB.
• From 19:00 to 22:00, there were presentations by faculty, MAB representatives and NGO activists on issues related to socioenvironmental problems and conflicts related to dam projects. Questions and comments from the audience will be taken after the presentations.
  

Contact

Franklin Daniel Rothman
Email: frothman [at] ufv [dot] br

Day of Action for Rivers activities by MOAB

The Movement of People Threatened by Dams in the Ribeira Vale and the Votorantim Aluminum Group organized a protest in the city of Adrianopolis, Parana State against the planned Tijuco Alto Dam.

Contact

Ewerton or Angela
Phone: (13) 3871-1877
Email: moabaxe [at] bol [dot] com [dot] br

Gathering Where Two Rivers Meet

Sindicato dos Pescadores Manaus (Manaus Fishermen Trade Union) and the Workers Brazilian Organization, along with many activists and community members, gathered in Porto des Lages, where the Negro and Solimoes rivers meet.

Contact

J. Rosha
Phone: (00 55 92) 8111-5435
Email: rosha01 [at] hotmail [dot] com

Protest on Xingu River
On March 13^th, the Xingu Vivo coalition organized a protest against the Belo Monte Dam in front of the offices of Eletronorte in Altamiria on the Xingu River. 300 people participated in the protest.

MAB Actions

On March 10^th, MAB kicked off Day of Action for Rivers activities with a march of about 800 people to the center of Joao Pessoa, Pernambuco State. The demonstrators demanded resettlement of families affected by the Acaua Dam, which left 4,500 people homeless after the flooding of its reservoir in 2002. MAB also demanded a meeting with state government officials to speed resettlement of families who are camped out. Police broke up the march and blockaded the state capital, but following negotiations, a meeting with MAB was agreed to for March 24^th, to address resettlement issues.

On March 11^th, about 1000 people affected by the Santo Antonio and Jirau dams began encampment on the state capital of Porto Velho to discuss problems caused by the violation of their rights by the companies building dams.

10 armed federal police officers tried to break up a protest by MAB at the Agrarian Reform office in Porto Velho on the morning of Friday March 13^th. It was a peaceful demonstration encouraged by songs in the defense of rights of towns. The police arrested six Bolivians from the Farmers' Federation of Pando province, who were also protesting the dams' effects on Bolivia. They were deported back to Bolivia.

Residents of the region of Vacaria, Reo Grande do Sul state have occupied the offices of the regional energy company, Rio Grande Energia, to demand lower electricity rates and the inclusion of families in the "social Electricity Rate", which guarantees that families that consume less than 160 KWh per month get this discount.

In Pinhal da Serra, Rio Granda do Sul state, populations affected by the Moinho Small Hydro Dam continue their third month of camping, demanding fair compensation. They have been harassed by the police during this time, including having their shelters destroyed and animals being set loose to destroy the crops of farmers.

Action in Brazil

Demonstrations took place in three places in Parana State, Brazil: Adrianopolis, Jataizinho and Ortiguera.

Around 600 people participated in the demonstration in Adrianopolis, to protest against the construction of the hydroelectric power station Tijuco High. Protesters assembled at the central plaza of Riberia and then marched up to the Rio Ribeira Bridge. Afterwards, they proceeded to the Andrianopolis Gymnasium where regional and local groups did cultural and artistic presentations.

 

The Landless Movement held an assembly in Paraiba State.

There were mobilizations with Via Campesina in Chapaco, Curitibanos and Sao Miguel do Oeste.

In Petrolina, Bahia state, there was a training course for youth on plans for river diversion and dams on the Sao Francisco River.

In Minas Gerais state, there were demonstrations and pamphleting to alert the public about dam affected people in Ponte Nova, Guaraciaba and Rio Doce.

There were events at schools and universities in Belo Horizonte, Vicosa, Ponte Nova, Montes Claros and Jequitiba.

Article on MAB Actions

Contact

Phone: 55.69.92499345 or 55.69.92688296
Web: www.mabnacional.org.br

 

Columbia

Mobilization in Defense for Water
On March 18^th, about a thousand people of diverse regions of Columbia mobilized in support of a referendum for water that is to be approved. They expressed access to water as a fundamental right. The demonstration was organized and supported by Friends of the Earth Columbia and CENSAT Agua Viva.