Amazon rainforest dam gets approval

The building of a huge dam on a river which flows through the Amazon rainforest has been given the go-ahead by the Brazilian government.

The government has given an environmental license to the constructors of the hydro-electric dam, which will be situated on the Xingu river and is expected to cost billions to create. The dam is being built to try and ease the strain on demand for electricity in the state of Para, where need for power is increasing.

However, environmentalists have expressed concern over the impact that the dam could have on the rainforest habitat and indigenous communities.

Megaron Tuxucumarrae, a chief from the Kayapo tribe, said, "We want to make sure that Belo Monte does not destroy the ecosystems and the biodiversity that we have taken care of for millennia. We are opposed to dams on the Xingu and will fight to protect our river."

According to Brazil's environment minister Carlos Minc, 97 square miles of land will be flooded by the new dam. In the dam's original plans, an area of almost 2,000 square miles was to be flooded.

He also noted that half of the 97 miles is already flooded during the Amazon rainy season.

Written by Kimberley Homer. ADNFCR-2073-ID-19591585-ADNFCR