Increase in Dams in Amazon

Construction has begun on one of two new massive dams along the remote Madeira River in the Brazilian Amazon, raising fears among conservationists for the future of the region’s indigenous people and its extremely diverse flora and fauna, the Washington Post reports. The dams are just two of at least 70 planned in the Amazon basin through 2030 as Brazil attempts to meet the electricity demands of its burgeoning economy and steps up the pace of development of the world’s largest tropical forest. Construction began last month on the $5 billion Santo Antonio dam and is planned for the Jirau dam; the two Madeira River dams will eventually produce 6,500 megawatts of electricity — the equivalent of 13 large coal-fired power plants. Environmentalists and tribal leaders in the region fear not only that the flooding of large areas of riverbank will displace Indians and damage the environment, but that road building and the presence of construction workers will lead to increased killing of fish and wildlife and will end the traditional way of life of aboriginal groups.