e9712

PEHUENCHE FIGHT FOR LAND

Ralco Dam Proceeds as Planned

In March, a group of Pehuenche indigenous peoples from the upper Biobío River in the south of Chile occupied the country's National Commission for the Environment (CONAMA). They demanded a total halt to Endesa's construction of a mega-dam on the Biobío, arguing that the Spanish-owned company “doesn't have the authorization of each of the affected families” as was required by the environmental commission in 1997. They also protested against the fact that their appeal to the national Court of Appeals to view Endesa's official permits has again been postponed.

At this point, construction of the Ralco Dam is at an extremely advanced stage. Some US$180 million has been invested, and Endesa hopes to have Ralco up and running by the middle of 2003. Endesa-Chile, a subsidiary of Endesa-Spain, currently monopolizes 60 percent of the country's energy supply and 75 percent of its water rights.

Profaning the Dead…
The Pehuenche protestors also requested that CONAMA halt Endesa's work on the dam until the continued defamation of sacred cemeteries on the banks of the river has been investigated and resolved. Ninety-one Pehuenche families - a total of 700 people - live in the 600 square kilometre area to be flooded by Ralco. Twelve cemeteries in the upper Biobío region will be flooded by the construction of the dam, and the Pehuenche are using this desecration of their sacred sites as a central argument against Ralco's construction. "Endesa is removing earth and taking out skeletons, profaning the tombs of our grandparents and parents," says Nicolasa Quintreman.

Together with her sister, Quintreman has created a women's organization called "Mapu Domuche Nehuen" (Women with the Strength of the Earth) to defend Pehuenche land and cultural rights. In 1992, supported by the Chilean NGO Group of Action for the Biobío (GABB) and the head of their community, they organized a strategy to protect the lands that would be flooded and destroyed by the Ralco Dam. They have lobbied the government and parliament, and for the last four years have attended Endesa's annual meeting in an attempt to convince shareholders to cancel the project. This year, the Quintreman sisters launched a legal action together with Spanish lawyers and NGOs against the directors of Endesa -Spain based on very strict Spanish laws that condemn genocidal actions.

As Well As the Living
The mega-dam on Chile's second largest river, which stretches 380 kilometres, is a disaster on many fronts. Not only is the area that will be destroyed part of a unique ecosystem housing the country's highest rates of biodiversity and endemic species, but the dam will seriously alter the hydrology and sediment of the river by creating a 35-square kilometre lake. Even the economic and developmental arguments for the dam are weak: the country already has alternative energy sources such as natural gas thermal plants that are cheaper and less ecologically damaging than Ralco.

Although the Pehuenche have undisputed titles to their lands, there is evidence that ex-President Eduardo Frei manipulated agreements in order to favour Endesa over the affected indigenous peoples, and that the series of necessary permits was manipulated. The Quintreman sisters are preparing to bring an injunction against the government for its violation of Chile's indigenous law of 1993, which is intended to protect indigenous lands all over the country. If these laws were respected, the project could go ahead only with the full support of the community, and the resettlement lands would have to be of equal or superior value to the occupied ones. Legally, the refusal of just one family could stop the project from going ahead.

Although dam construction continues, the Pehuenche did receive a signed agreement after their March occupation of CONAMA that promised them information about the inspection carried out earlier on their lands. They were also assured that a commission composed of affected community members and various state departments would be formed to study the relocation of the indigenous cemeteries. But will this be enough to compensate the Pehuenche for their woes?

Inge Lamberz, FoE Chile