Violence and public health in the Altamira region: The construction of the Belo Monte hydroelectric plant

Abstract

The current Brazilian government’s implantation of development policies prioritizes the building of large infrastructure projects (e.g., roads, ports, airports, gas pipelines) also named large-scale projects (Ribeiro, 2014) or development megaprojects (Timo, 2013).1 This facilitates the appropriation of natural resources (e.g., energy, minerals and the monocultures of the productive chain of interest for agribusiness). This is considered to be an economic growth strategy linked, on one hand, to the continuous expansion of production and circulation of export commodities to North American, Asian and European nations, profiting from increases in prices and the demand in international markets (Almeida, 2012; Malerba & Milanez, 2012; Mesquita, 2011). Conversely, the intensification of political, financial and social intervention of the Brazilian State by means of sectoral planning, loans’ concession and financial investment by public banks or pension funds, and the creation of wealth distribution programs directed to the poorest social classes has also occurred (Castro, 2013; Garzon, 2014).