Brazil federal prosecutors sue Rio Madeira dam operators for fish stock collapse

The Federal Public Ministry (MPF), the Labor Public Ministry (MPT) and the Federal Public Defender’s Office (DPU) have filed two civil public actions in Porto Velho seeking R$ 330 million in damages from the Santo Antônio and Jirau hydroelectric projects on the Rio Madeira. The suits allege that the concessionaire Santo Antônio Energia falsified environmental reports between 2011‑2013, leading to a collapse of the river’s fish stocks – up to a 95 % loss of high‑value species for riverside communities. The actions also demand that the federal government establish a River Basin Committee and a water agency to give indigenous peoples, fishers and riverine residents a say in water‑resource decisions, and to suspend new large‑scale licensing in the basin until independent impact studies are completed.

The prosecutors request compensation of at least R$ 250 million for environmental damage, plus collective moral damages of R$ 80 million split between the two dam operators, to be directed to restoration projects and support for affected communities. They also seek court orders barring the National Water Agency (ANA), IBAMA and the Rondônia environmental secretariat from issuing or renewing licences for major projects in the Madeira basin until remedial measures are in place.