The Construction of Health Causal Relations in the Belo Monte Dam Context

Abstract

The assessment of the impacts and risks to health is possible through studies on health (and environmental conditions) before and after the installation of dams. This condition allows the construction of causal relations in timescale and the transformation of data and information on scientific knowledge and public policy. In this article, it is analyzed the issues regarding the attribution of causality in the emergency (or decrease) of the diseases or injuries, taking as examples the relationship between migration and workers' diseases (brought or acquired), cases of syphilis in pregnant women, deaths due to violence (such as homicide) and traffic accidents in the context of the construction of the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam. It is analyzed the challenges for the construction of a complex network of causal relations, that incorporate the bio-physiological causes with other causes derived from human actions and political decisions (or omissions), in this specific context.

Beyond diversity loss and climate change: Impacts of Amazon deforestation on infectious diseases and public health

“…Construction of hydroelectric dams is often associated with the relocation of communities from areas that will be flooded or significantly impacted by the construction. Both the displaced population and the population migration attracted to areas near dam construction sites are exposed to substantial health risks, as in the case of the Belo Monte Dam (Grisotti 2016). The new settlement areas may be sites of greater vector circulation or habitats of pathogen reservoirs.…”

Market Participation in the Age of Big Dams: The Belo Monte Hydroelectric Dam and Its Impact on Rural Agrarian Households

“…Fishing communities downstream from the dam have experienced a dramatic decrease in the quality and quantity of the fish, as well as lower water levels in areas that have been used for generations as a feeding and reproduction ground for fish [33]. Additionally, as the city of Altamira boomed with the surge of migrant labour, residents saw an increase in vector-borne diseases, such as Dengue, as well as an increase in crime rates, prostitution, drug use, and sexually transmitted diseases [8].…”

“…For families living along the body of water serving the dam, health outcomes have often been negative, as stagnant water in some areas has become the breeding ground of infectious diseases (malaria, dengue, etc.) and low-flowing rivers that serve households' needs carry bacteria that should have been flushed out with higher flow levels [8,9].…”

Dams, political framing and sustainability as an empty signifier: The case of Belo Monte

“…Such assertions of sustainability conflate hydropower's role as renewable energy with an image that denies the wider environmental repercussions of mega-dam construction. The population of Altamira has increased by close to 30% (Grisotti, 2016). There remains a neglect of the cumulative effects of dams on deforestation, methane emissions and repercussions of biodiversity in the assertion of the dam as clean energy (see: Cunha & Ferreira, 2012).…”

“…Similarly, the social consequences of the project have also provided a particularly important route for opposition critique of the Belo Monte project (Irigaray, ; Millikan, ). The population of Altamira has increased by close to 30% (Grisotti, ). Such a population influx has caused extensive issues and a number of controversies, with larger numbers straining local infrastructure, increasing rents and living expenses, and leading to increased violence and social problems in the region (Leite et al., ).…”