Public policy implementation and basic sanitation issues associated with hydroelectric projects in the Brazilian Amazon: Altamira and the Belo Monte dam

Located in the State of Pará, along the Xingú River, the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Complex is the largest, most recent project in the Amazon region and third largest in the world. The city of Altamira, located 52 km upstream from the Belo Monte dam, served as the main stage for its construction. Using surveys and interviews performed in 2016 as social and quantifiable tools, we determine basic sanitation practices in Altamira after the construction of Belo Monte and reveal issues that can impact the environment and public health of the population. Through analysis of national policies and the use of publicly available information, we identify discrepancies between Altamira's current reality and Brazil's existing national public policies, mainly Brazil's Water Resources Policy and the Federal Sanitation Law. Similar basic sanitation provision and waste disposal practices along the region lead us to believe that, if not addressed, the implementation gaps observed in Altamira are likely to emerge in future hydroelectric development projects currently envisioned throughout the Amazon Basin. As more dams in the Amazonian region are planned, identifying public policy implementation gaps that affect basic sanitation and water resources creates opportunities to anticipate problems that could impinge on the public health needs of residents where such large infrastructure projects will be implemented.