Bishop on Hunger Strike faces down Lula.

international | environment | other press

Thursday October 06, 2005 14:36

by iosaf

Luiz Flavio Cappio, is 58 years of age, a franciscan and bishop of the Brazilian town of Barra in the state of Pernambuco.
He started 11 days ago a hunger strike -

to stop the Brazilian government beginning work on a water pipeline/ canal / duct transfer system.

The aquaduct which has been suggested in some form or other for almost 150 years is due to be built in 2006.

It was one of the key manifesto policies of the Lula government which came to power in 2003.

1,770,000,000$ is the initial price tag to bring water to the people of Ceará, Río Grande do Norte, Pernambuco and Paraiba.
But the project reliant on investment and brazilian construction will cost more than 2billion$.

"12,000,000 families will benefit".

some others say only 9,000,000 people will benefit.

What is clear is that the areas to which the government want to bring water (in pipelines, ducts, canals) now counts on 450cubic meters of water per habitant.

The UN estimate that each person needs 1,500cubic meters of water.

The Brazilian government led by Lula is convinced that this project is an absolute neccesity to fight drought and lack of water in the north east of the country, the least well developed regions.

The Bishop disagrees, he says the ecological damage which will be caused to the San Francisco river is to great. The Bishop has written a book on the river and is considered to be an expert.

The pope, is said to be considering the cancellation of his audience with Lula scheduled to occur during the Brazilian's state visit to Italy later this month. But the Vatican insist the hunger strike is the bishop's own affair and is not supported by them.

This is being taken as a latest sign of the RC church closing ranks (in Brazil at least) in opposition to the socialist regime elected in 2003.

http://www.elpais.es/articulo/elpporint/20051005elpepisoc_6/Tes
http://www.univision.com/contentroot/wirefeeds/lat/5207596.html
http://miarroba.com/foros/ver.php?foroid=418065&temaid=3652490
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/spanish/latin_america/newsid_4314000/4314172.stm
http://www.clarin.com/diario/2005/10/06/elmundo/i-03301.htm