The story of two presidents, who have opened their electricity bills without their people
Large and bulky look of a father to the little fellow with the gray beard down. The actual power relations between Peru and Brazil is opposite to the stature of their leaders. Brazil the diminutive Ignacio Lula da Silva led, is the emerging superpower America, which sets the clock. The neighboring country of Peru, by almost 2 meters wide and ruled with age in the previous width Alan Garcia, is against Brazil, a developing country that swims through the global commodities boom on the growth wave. His raw materials it is also thanks to President of Brazil and Peru are so much pleasure each other.
Supposedly Alan García's proposal have room. Brazil should be the shallow water artificial dam to generate electricity for its growing needs. Peru had, however, the Andes, the water falls anyway. Brazil could but in the eastern Andean slopes of Peru to build hydroelectric power plants, and then import the electricity from Peru. Moreover, even a clean, environmentally friendly business is one, but the water power to renewable energy sources. The studies would be available already. In the 70 years, under the spell of the first oil boycott of Arab States, GTZ had been clarified on behalf of the Salzgitter AG Peruvian six potential sites for hydropower plants. The reports were in the drawer since the ministry and were hastily brought out again.
In December 2009, traveled to Lima and Lula signed a letter of intent for a Brazilian-Peruvian energy agreement. While the two officers are in the Peruvian Capital as a new integration of Latin America celebrated the carrier, the people went to Puno on the road.
Brasilenhos fuera!
The small town Mazuko located at the intersection of the department of Madre de Dios, Cusco and Puno. The newly built highway "Interoceánica" that Brazil and Peru, and hence the Atlantic with the Pacific Ocean, is one here in four hours on the Brazilian border, and in another two hours in Cusco. According to Puno, a city on Lake Titicaca, on the other hand, the bus takes another 12 hours if it rains even longer. The road from the lowlands to 4,000 meters high is jerky, not yet paved. Will it soon be - if not the new water plant would have come up. At the village of San Gaban, halfway between Puno and Mazuko Inambari the river will be dammed, 40 000 hectares of land will be flooded for it, now the fifth largest dam in Latin America can be built here with Brazilian money. Up to 6,000 people live here - small farmers and gold miners - to be resettled. And the planned road, "Interoceánica" - which is to be flooded to 35 kilometers and moved.
Rosario Linares is a member of the "Sociedad Civil por la construcción de la Carretera interoceánica" Socit Departamentshauptstadt in Puno and upset that Puno will be cut off so that the blessings of the new trade route. Yet she is enraged and the entire population of Puno, however the fact that Lima has determined again over their heads. One day, the engineers of the newly established operating company EGASUR - behind which the Brazilian big companies Eletrobrás, Furnas and OAS hide - in the villages around San Gaban and informed the population that will be built on their land, the largest dam in Peru. The Ministry in Lima was awarded the concession without consultation with stakeholders. She had that Punenhos again sold, and dealing with foreign countries. From Brazil.
was quick in any case not shy away from conflict Puno the issue Inambari "on everyone's lips. "Brazilians out" was on the walls of buildings at risk of the resettlement villages Lechemayo, Loromayo and Puerto Manoa read .. While Lula and Garcia in Lima signed the Memorandum of Punenhos called for a protest march against Inambari against the decision of the central government and against the sell-out to Brazil.
visit of the royal household
It was the deal between Lula and Garcia did not see eye so bad. Brazil builds its own money for the exorbitant Peru hydropower plants on Peruvian soil was first of 6 pieces dei speech - and operates it. Peru Export earnings can serve its own energy demand and receive at the end of the infrastructure is.
This one ought to explain to the inhabitants of Puno, thought responsible for the generation of electricity Vice Minister Daniel Camac and went on his way to San Gaban. His visit to San Gaban came to journeyman that the relations between the capital and the provinces in Peru still have colonial features.
As the Vice Minister, together with bureaucracy in Lima in their SUVs in San Gaban arrived, the population is waiting for the football ground of the village. From the tribune said the Vice Minister in particular that he actually still can not say anything, because the relevant expertise or were not satisfied. Responsible for the expert opinion that the Brazilian company. The audience responded with harsh criticism and verbal aggression, as they transition in Puno is commonplace. The Vice Minister was afraid of his own people and retreated. Before he had answered all the questions, he was surrounded by his security men, in his SUV roars off again. Rather than clarify issues and to engage in a dialogue, he had applied the local population even more so against it.
The lack of dialogue between central government and local population is typical of many social conflicts that the Peruvian society influence outside the capital today. Despite 10 years ago discharged to decentralization, concessions for resource exploitation will continue to unilaterally awarded in Lima. The undersigned also from Peru to Article 169 of the ILO Convention, which requires the prior consultation of the indigenous population was in Peru not yet been implemented. Only after the massacre on 5 Bagua June 2009, in which 22 policemen and 10 civilians were killed, came a bill with a "consulta previa", which is the statutory involvement of local, especially indigenous Bevölkerungm when deciding on resource concessions pre Peruvian Parliament.
Help Protect Lima
In February 2010, switched to the nation's active environmental NGOs from Lima in the energy debate. In a first public communiqué they criticized in particular the lack of public debate and the haste with which the Peruvian government wants to push through the energy agreement with Brazil. They point out that Peru does not have a sustainable development plan for its Amazon basin, the agreement with Brazil to the detriment of Peru is closed - by the energy is sold abroad, the growth will need self-Peru. The environmental dangers posed by large dams, were also large: the destruction of biodiversity, but also the enhancement of Greenhouse gases by flooding says the myth of "clean energy" mockery.
All objections did not help. to take that energy demand in Brazil and President García's request, before the expiry of his term as president of South American integration in the history books were stronger. On 16 June Garcia and Lula signed the energy agreement in Manaos. In it, the construction of dams for the generation of 6,000 megawatts of electricity is fixed. Peru obliged to ignore it, more than 30 years, with Brazil to supply its electricity surplus. For Brazil, which just approved the construction of a mega dam to produce 10 000 megawatts in Belo Horizonte, has the Peruvian dams, each with more than 2,000 megawatts are not worth mentioning. In Peru, however, begins the debate on which development for the Amazon basin is desirable and what is the role of the indigenous peoples of the process now starting. A few days after signing of the energy agreement, the Peruvian government has protested against the law of "prior consultation". The government blocks mainly at a possible veto of the local population in resource exploitation.
Vice Minister Daniel Camac but insists repeatedly that the dam will be built only with the consent of the population. Meanwhile, the government has non-transparent if their Approach to the local population hardly credible. This all fits in that she has just extended the permit for the company EGASUR, determine their studies done. This means nothing else than the Brazilian consortium that now every effort will stop at nothing to affected populations in San Gaban, about 6,000 people - to convince them that they accept their resettlement.
is an end to the conflict in sight, not even in the face of the upcoming municipal and presidential elections. In Puno we hear frequently fear that Inambari could become a second "Bagua" that there is massive Violent riots could come if the government does not desist from their purpose.
Lula and Garcia can be like this - yet - spoil their good mood. Perhaps, however, the Brazilian president has felt - it would be hoped - that the expansion plans in Brazil might stumble upon the good will of colleagues. For many Peruvians, however, takes the former associated with samba and football neighboring country more and more the characteristics of an imperialist superpower, which dictates the conditions of the neighboring countries.
(ila appeared printed in July / August 2010)
