Saturday, May 28, 2011

Chile dams will bring social and environmental destruction


UTV News
A massive hydroelectric project was approved last Monday in Chile after three years of evaluations and big controversy. The project involves the construction of five hydroelectric power stations in two of the most untouched and wildest rivers in the world – the Baker and the Pascua rivers.
HidroAysén project will dam around 6,000 hectares in the remote southern Chilean Patagonia. This will have a deep environmental impact in a place as pure as that. The Aysén region is the less populated region in the country and is famous for its beauty and isolation. An interesting ecotourism industry has been developing in the area lately, which would be damaged by the dams. The project also includes the construction of a transmission line from Aysén region, all the way to the capital Santiago. This will mean power cables and 5,000 towers of 50 meters tall, one every 400 meters, along 2,200km. The effect will be the deforestation of 23,000 hectares, and six national parks as well as 11 national reserves will be damaged. The visual impact would be massive.

For full article:

No comments:

Post a Comment