Belo Monte does to the Volta Grande region of the Xingu River what drought does to the Amazon
Since 2015, the sequestering of the river's water by the hydroelectric plant has interrupted lifecycles and killed thousands of fish, threatening food security for Indigenous and Ribeirinho peoples, with Brazil's environmental regulator failing to make a decision to stop the destruction
Belo Monte: forest and academia join to save Xingu
An alliance of traditional communities, Indigenous researchers and university scientists aims to produce reliable data to counter information presented by Norte Energia on the impacts of the hydroelectric plant
‘No argument, no logic’ : Experts stunned by flimsy basis for Belo Monte hydrograph
At a seminar for senior government officials in Brasilia, researchers finally reveal the weak study on which the dam's operator Norte Energia has based its quota of 8,000 cubic meters per second for nature. They say this is dangerously inadequate for the important ecosystem and way of life of people who live on the river's 'Big Bend'.
‘The moment they sliced the Xingu in half and made it bleed, we bled too’
As a fisherman-writer, this ribeirinho writes to release feelings dammed up by the pain of what Belo Monte did to the river, which is his life
Belo Monte dam has made fish ‘river illiterate’
Ever since Norte Energia, the hydroelectric operator, made the Xingu its private water tank, the river's erratic flow has had a huge impact on the lives of human and non-human residents. Locals are now independently monitoring the Xingu's behavior to help the government make the best decision on whether or not to renew the plant’s operating license.
Damned if he does: Lula decides the fate of Belo Monte
Brazil's president must decide whether to renew the operating license of the Amazon's biggest and most catastrophic hydroelectric plant. His choice will determine the Workers’ Party’s legacy in the Amazon, and the fate of the Xingu River
