| 06/06/2006 |
| PROGRAMS BOAST R$ 200 MILLION IN INVESTMENTS |
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The socio-environmental portion of the activities undertaken as part of the Irapé venture featured a variety of studies on flora and fauna, archaeological rescue, cultural heritage collection registration, environmental education and social communication activities, among others. Special attention was given to the resettlement of those families living in the area encompassed by the reservoir. Benefits were expressive for the region and the population involved, as investments in the order of R$ 200 million were made.
Besides the engineering challenge that had to be met to overcome the difficulties posed by the Jequitinhonha river canyon at the site of the dam, the greatest of them all from the very beginning was to respond to all the social issues related to the venture. Its complexity is well represented in its Term of Agreement, in which the resettlement of the river-side families, living in areas encompassed by the reservoir, was established as a major priority in order to reconstitute their rights and compensate for the project’s social costs.
Cemig conducted the resettlement of nearly 600 families on 104 farms. More than 60 hectares of land were acquired for relocating the families. Resettlements were installed with all the necessary infrastructure, such as energy, running water, a telephone system, construction of and improved access to roadways. Entitled to receive land parcels in the resettlement program were land owners, squatters, share croppers, their children who were older than 18 and married, as well as those who were single and older than eighteen that either lived or worked on the land.
On the new properties, families received 60 hectares of land, they had theirs houses reconstructed and were compensated financially for the other lost facilities. Relocated families also were given a maintenance and support fund, land treatment, seeds and seedlings for the first harvest. All lots are to be legally registered and documented and the settlers shall be given technical assistance by Emater through exclusive teams. Twenty eight resettlement associations have been created in 17 different municipalities of the region.
Several areas have been contemplated
In the context of the socio-environmental program, innumerous campaigns on sexuality targeted at students, educators and parents were conducted. Nearly 13 thousand students, parents and community leaders were made aware of the issue, while 2.5 thousand teachers were trained. Programs in which activities aimed at the qualification of local labor were held, during which nearly 1,000 locals were trained.
In order to provide for the need to study the both biotic and physical environments, researchers from universities and prestigious institutions in the state were hired. PUC Minas, for instance, is in charge of the fauna monitoring study, a project that shall be extended until 2008. Sectors of the Federal University of Minas Gerais are responsible for studies concerning fish, more specifically, species of game fish that are spawning.
The rescuing of animals was carried out during the reservoir-area cleaning stage and continues now while the reservoir is being filled. A Triage Center was installed and nearly 4 thousand animals, among young specimens, eggs and adult animals have been rescued since the work started.
Socio-cultural Programs
Among the socio-cultural programs that were implemented, one that is worth mentioning is the Cultural Heritage Registration Program, that generated a number of items, such as the dossier of 60 farms with photographical data and musical recordings and the registering of the regions festivals and parties. Interviews with 77 oral sources were made, from which CDs were produced of the most representative songs, as well as videos of the festivals reporting on and registering the regions’ traditional knowledge and activities, along with the creatio |
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