Brazil’s Lula approves controversial road through the Amazon

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has committed his government to finishing the BR-319 road through the Amazon rainforest in Brazil

The 918km road was built in the 1970s but part of the road is unpaved and therefore unpassable, with the jungle said to have grown on many sections of the road. As much of 400km is said to be a ‘dirt road’ that turns to impassable mud in the rainy season.

The road connects the state capital Manaus to Porto Velho, the capital of Rondonia state. Due to droughts in the Amazon region many rivers in the area are now unable to be used, which has increased the pressure on the government to finish the road.

To finish the highway at least two bridges would need to be repaired, and a new bridge constructed.

Environmental campaigners say that finishing the road will lead to environmental destruction.

A study led by the Federal University of Minas Gerais previously estimated that the project would result in a fivefold rise in clearing by 2030, the equivalent of an area larger than the US state of Florida.

Lula’s Environmental Minister Marina Silva opposed the highway, saying it was not viable in economic and environmental terms. However, a Transport Ministry working group has concluded that the road was viable.