Although still in the licensing phase, power plant projects along the Madeira River have already caused impacts, in Jaci-Paraná, district of Porto Velho, disorderly migration and occupation are alarming.
Porto Velho - In a recent discussion promoted by the municipal government of Porto Velho, José Bonifácio, contract director at Odebrecht, listed "stimulation of the real estate market" as one of the likely benefits of the hydro power plant projects along the Madeira River.  In a region of precarious lend tenure regulation, however, this 'stimulation' translates into illegal deforestation and land occupation.

A visitor in the district of Jaci-Paraná, where some nine thousand people currently live, would be amazed at the number of signs all around announcing the sale of homes, commercial venues and empty lots.  Being a poor neighborhood, lacking in public services, population growth is usually negligible.  Two years ago there were some 600 to 700 households in Jaci-Paraná.  Now there are over 1500.  To Jurandir Rodrigues Oliveira, public administrator in charge of the district, this explosion in land occupation has one sole motive: The project to build the Santo Antonio and Jirau power plants on the Madeira River.

"People hear that there is going to be a power plant here, that there will be jobs and so people move in, squatting different areas.  People who were already here take advantage, cut down the forest and open up new lots and all of a sudden a plot that was worth R$1,000 is worth R$5,000.  We don't have the infrastructure to absorb all these people.  These power plants might even bring benefits, but for the moment we are only suffering loss", laments the administrator.  He cites as an example the medical services provided at the local health clinic.  According to Jurandir, the clinic usually receives some 20 cases a week.  Over the last few months, over one hundred patients have come in for appointments every week.

Promise of jobs
Located on the outskirts of the state capital, Porto Velho, the district of Jaci-Paraná is the nearest urban center to the construction site that will be set up for building the Santo Antonio power plant.  Furnas and Odebrecht, the companies proposing the construction, stated in their Environmental Impact Assessment presented to Ibama that the project would create some 20,000 direct jobs at each plant.  Their representatives assured listeners at meetings they promoted that local labor would be given priority in all communities that might be affected by the power plants.

The first major challenge to fulfilling that promise is professional qualifications.  According to the same studies conducted by the proponents of the project, productive activities performed in Jaci-Paraná, which the entire local labor force is involved, is collecting Brazil nuts, rubber tapping and logging, in addition to workers in sawmills and fishing.

To Artur Moret, Coordinator of the Resistance to Power Plants Campaign "Long Live the Madeira River Alive", most of the jobs created are temporary and the best positions will go to workers from outside the state.  "The dislocation of workers is huge and according to unofficial information, the number of job-seekers will be three times the number of jobs, thus placing the municipal authorities in the position of having to address increasing demands in the areas of health, education, transportation, infrastructure, housing, etc", he mentioned.

Illegal trade
The district administrator took reporters from amazonia.org.br to an illegal housing development.  There were small plots of 10m by 30m and wooden houses built by the homeowners themselves.  None of those living there who were questioned had title to the land and said that they do not know who the owner of the land might be.  Ms. Maria Barbosa lives with her seven children in a two room house and bought a plot for R$2,000 from a man who identified himself only as 'Batata' but never actually met him as the sale was through a middleman.

According to one of the middlemen, who still considers the demand for plots to be low, some 77 plots were sold in only 30 days for amounts from R$1,000 to R$2,000.  He explained that sales cannot be over time, as the sellers are suspicious, but if the person is skillful during the negotiations, she or he could buy the plot for half the initial asking price for cash payments.  Of course there is no paperwork to substantiate the deal.  Yet he assures: "In Rondônia that's how it's done.  Nobody has a deed, but that's not a problem".

Under these conditions, a plot of land measuring 20m by 80m goes for around R$20,000, initial price.  Nearer the highway and hotel, the same area costs R$55,000.  The intermediary is upbeat: "Jaci-Paraná is progress.  This place is going to grow a lot.  Only Porto Velho will be bigger". According to information received by reporters from amazonia.org.br, the areas are being squatted, divided and sold are lands belonging to the federal government.  Our reporters sought the Municipal Secretary of Land Regulations and Housing of Porto Velho for two days, but until press time he did not have anyone contact us to comment on the case.

Carolina Derivi

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