When faith moves rivers

The battle between a bishop on a hunger strike versus the Brasilian government

It’s a story involving millions of people and billions of dollars. It concerns the army, the Vatican and the president. And for one of the people involved, a bishop in a little town in Bahia, it has become
a matter of life and death.

Luiz Flávio Cappio, 61, began his second hunger strike on the 26th November, in protest against the diversion of the 2,700km-long River São Francisco – the fourth largest river in South America, which fl ows across five Brasilian states close to some of the poorest and most arid regions of the country. The planned diversion of the river has courted controversy ever since 1985, when the federal authorities fi rst began discussing the project, and it’s taken on epic proportions now that the Lula administration has decided to put the diversion into practice.

The aim of the Project is to divert a portion of the River São Francisco to supply small rivers and dams in the Northeastern region with water during periods of drought. The government says that the water used will only amount to 1.4% of the total fl ow of the river. Around 400 counties in the rural and arid regions of the Brasilian Northeast (12 million people in all) will benefi t from the project when it is concluded in 2025.

But the controversy surrounding the project is due to the following reasons: first of all, a number of technical and environmental reports have been approved of on paper, with no public discussion whatsoever. Secondly, many critics say that the diversion will ecologically sacrifi ce the River São Francisco – not only will it not quench the thirst of millions of people, it will also rob the riverside
population who depend on the river for their sustenance and livelihoods. There’s also concern that the diversion will benefi t major landowners and not subsistence farmers.

“This project is economically impractical. The government itself has come up with other alternatives at half the price. At the beginning of the year, the National Water Agency (ANA) launched 530 different alternatives for supplying urban communities throughout the Northeast with water. These measures would benefi t 34 million people and are cheaper and more viable options than diverting the RiverSão Francisco”, explains Bishop Luiz Flávio. The project will cost $2 billion.

In 2005, the bishop’s hunger strike came to an end after 11 days, when the government promised to open the project up to a public referendum. According to the bishop, Lula deceived him and he’ll only end his hunger strike this time if the army moves away from the riverbank or if all works are suspended. The army is getting work underway because this was the solution the government found
to get the project moving.

The government defends its position saying that all the necessary studies have been undertaken and guarantees that the irrigation programme will benefi t 12 million people. “There’s no dialogue with Cappio”, explains the Minister of National Integration, responsible for developing the project. The Vatican – that in 2005 condemned the bishop’s hunger strike – ordered him again to end the protest, but in vain.

“The government has fl own against all democratic principles with this project, trampling over anyone who got in their way and beginning work in an authoritative fashion”, says Bishop Cappio, the man that was once a member of the PT (Lula’s party).

“I don’t know how the Ministry of the Environment ever approved this project; it’s riddled with problems”, reveals an employee of the General Procuracy Offi ce of Brasil who analysed the project in minute detail, talking exclusively to JungleDrums.

“The diversion of the river serves the interests of multinational organisations looking to mass produce shrimp and fruits for exportation. Don’t believe that they are bothered about the poor. I’ve lived on the riverbank for the past 33 years and the local population receives no help whatsoever.
If the government was really interested in the poor, it would already be offering these communities support”, explains the bishop.

The periodic droughts of the Brasilian Northeast are one of the oldest and most emblematic problems of the country.

Luiz Flávio Cappio has vowed to continue his hunger strike if work on the irrigation scheme is not halted, even if he runs the risk of dying: “I don’t want to die. I love life, but I’ve put my life at risk to defend my people. This is my mission. If needs be, I’ll die for my beliefs. Sometimes it’s necessary for a seed to drop to the ground and rot in order for fruit to grow”.

And Lula doesn’t intend to stop the project – the government has already gotten past 12 temporary injunctions that prevented work from commencing in 2006, and seems determined to steam ahead. It looks like the battle will go on for a while. The government, the Church, the army, and millions of hungry and thirsty people are already involved to come up with a solution for the River São Francisco. Who else need get involved to put an end to this drama? God? Moses? JD

When faith moves rivers

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