Impactos Sociais na Cidade de Palmeirante (TO) com a Construção da Usina Hidrelétrica de Estreito (MA)

Abstract

In Brazil, there are several large hydroelectric power plants, and once their construction begins, it covers people’s territories and nature, with all this generating indignation and revolt on the part of the population as a result of irreversible environmental and social disasters, also causing one of the greatest social problems. Which is deterritorialization. The main objective of this work was to understand the impacts on the city of Palmeirante (TO) with the construction of the Estreito Hydroelectric Power Plant (MA), which started to be built with the promise of generating employment and development in the Municipality of Estreito and also to the surroundings. In view of this, the research unfolds in order to analyze the dissatisfaction of the population about the enterprise. The research highlights many problems and social impacts, among them recurrent floods and residents having to vacate their homes in periods of intense rain, due to the instability of the Tocantins River. To reach the data, the methodological procedures used were qualitative research, with na interview script, and na oral history interview model, with questions directed at residents impacted by the dam, and during the questions they were willing to tell even more about what occurred during the entire process of negotiations with (CESTE), the company responsible for the project, and how they lived after the construction of the plant and how they were treated in the face of huge problems, mainly economic, for fishermen, evacanteiros and riverside dwellers on both sides of the river, those inside the city, on this side where most of the evacanteiros and fishermen are concentrated, and on the other side of the river where most of the riverside people who survive more on family farming are concentrated. In view of this, the struggle of the residents for their rights is evident, which according to them were not respected by the company responsible, causing damage to the population and especially to the fishermen who were affected by the lack of fish, the riverside people who had to move from their places of origin, the evacanteiros who were forbidden to plant and produce their food without any kind of compensation and the population in general for the houses damaged with fissures and cracks that, according to them, are consequences of the dam that directly affects the city’s water table.