Construction of Belo Monte resumes

Work will resume on a multi-billion dollar dam project in the Amazon after Brazil's Supreme Court overturned a previous decision to halt construction.

A view of the construction site in may 2012

Two weeks ago, a regional federal court had ordered the immediate suspension of work on the Belo Monte dam saying that local indigenous people had not been properly consulted and that they had the right to air their views on the project in Congress. The court reasoned that in 2005, “when the project was approved by the Brazilian Congress, it mandated an environmental impact study that was made after the work began and not before, as mandated by the law”. But that regional court still has to consider the merits of the case and examine further evidence.

The latest ruling by the Supreme Court thus overturns the order by a lower court and it is alleviating concerns that key work would not be done ahead of the rainy season. It is expected that 12,000 operators will work day and night on the construction site and that number should reach 22,000 in 2013.