Stop Europe's largest Dam in Alqueva
Stop Europe's largest Dam Starting from February 22nd, Europe's most extensive deforestation programme began in the beautiful Guadiana valley of eastern Portugal. Chainsaws ripped through the first of the more than one million trees which are to be felled, including thousands of mature holm and cork oaks - all of this to make way for the Alqueva dam. The deforestation programme is such a huge undertaking that it is expected to take until spring 2002 to complete.
The mighty Guadiana river, gurgles ferociously through the channel beside the dam wall under construction. All around this project in the north eastern Alentejo are some of the best examples of the productivity of the rural way of life, Serpa which produces some of the country's best cured cheeses, Moura which produces the country's finest olive oil, Vidigueira wine, good quality cork and the famous smoked hams of Barrancos. The whole region is a manmade paradise, vibrantly humming with life and productivity which mocks the official purpose of the dam - to supply water to the semi-arid fields of this region.
The 600 million ECU's project is a huge undertaking, but it is one which the government is determined to finish. A further nine smaller dams, 114 pumping stations and 4,500 kilometres of irrigation canals are also still to be built as part of the enterprise, funding for this is uncertain.
The dam when filled will be the largest artificial lake in Europe in terms of surface area, at around 240 square kilometres, it has taken almost thirty years to reach it's current stage, and has met with opposition at almost every stage of it's development, including by the people of Aldeia de Luz, whose home village will be flooded.
The habitat of Portugal's only pair of Golden Eagles will vanish, as will two pairs of the threatened Bonelli's Eagle and ten per cent of the country's black stork population. Even the earlier plans to rescue their young and eggs have now been dropped. The region to be submerged includes a 135 square kilometre area, which according to a report by the ICN, the government's own conservation agency - is inhabited by the Iberian lynx. In spite of the fact that the Iberian lynx is Europe's most endangered carnivore, and only 40-53 are thought to be left in Portugal, the 5-6 inhabiting this region are still to be sacrificed to the floods, meaning extinction for this - one of only five lynx populations in Portugal.
Environmental groups have pointed out that the dam is also financially flawed, and will not even recoup it's costs for 75 years. It is also on a seismic fault line
Five Portuguese NGO's have even had their compromise proposal of a reduction in the area to be flooded have been ignored, they are now planning to file an official complaint to the EU who have funded this project.
Having fought this project alone for so long, we need international support, please use International Day Against Dams (March 14th) to protest to your local Portuguese embassy against this monstrosity.
Fax or email the following: Portugal's Prime minister Antonio Guterres + 351 21 395 1616 pm@pm.gov.pt EDIA the dam developers carlos.silva@edia.pt President of the European Commission sg-registre@cec.eu.int
more information about the Alqueva dam on http://www.despodata.pt/geota/ingles/alqueva.htm
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