Cadernos de Saúde Pública
Print version ISSN 0102-311X
KOIFMAN, Sergio. Electric power generation and transmission: the impact on indigenous peoples in Brazil. Cad. Saúde Pública [online]. 2001, vol.17, n.2, pp. 413-423. ISSN 0102-311X. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0102-311X2001000200016.
This paper presents an overview of the effects of electric power generation and transmission on indigenous communities in Brazil. According to data from FUNAI (the Brazilian government's Board of Indian Affairs), there are 156 cases of direct impact, present or future, of the electric power sector on Indian settlements geographically distributed throughout Brazil, 65% of which are located in the Northern Region of the country. The principal complaints by indigenous communities relate to the direct effects of flooding following construction of hydroelectric dams, destruction of sacred sites like cemeteries, mosquito proliferation, and health-related hazards such as malaria and other infectious diseases, decrease in game for hunting, crowding out of farm land, and increased invasion of indigenous lands. Future perspectives include a scenario with further construction of hydroelectric dams, especially in the Amazon region, with possible similar effects on indigenous communities.
Keywords : Electricity; Environmental Impact; South American Indians.