News (Media Awareness Project) - Brazil gives goahead for Amazon monitoring system |
| Title: | Brazil gives goahead for Amazon monitoring system |
| Published On: | 1997-07-30 |
| Fetched On: | 2008-09-08 13:52:29 |
By William Schomberg BRASILIA, July 28 (Reuter) Brazil's plan to build
a $1.3 billion air surveillance and datacollecting system in the Amazon
rainforest is finally under way after the government authorized the first
payments, officials said on Monday.
The controversial Amazon Surveillance System (Sivam), which involves the
installation of 19 radar stations, satellite communications systems and other
hightech equipment, has been stuck in the planning stages since it was first
proposed in 1990.
"It's been a long time coming because it is a very big undertaking. But now
the bureaucratic steps have all been taken and work can begin," said Brazil
Air Force Col. Antonio Jose Faria dos Santos who is in charge of the project.
Brazil hopes the system will help it fight drug smuggling in its vast
rainforest and control unauthorized mining and farming which cause widespread
environmental damage.
Sivam also is aimed at improving safety in the region for commercial air
traffic, monitoring meteorological conditions, tracking epidemics and
generally improving Brazil's control over its Western Europesized chunk of
the forest.
The contract was awarded in 1994 to a group led by U.S.
engineering and technology giant Raytheon Co. (A HREF"aol://4784:RTN:")
implementing the program soon.
Just over $1 billion of the project's total $1.3 billion cost will be
provided to Brazil as a loan from the U.S.
ExportImport Bank.
Brazil's Finance Ministry approved a first payment of $90 million late on
Friday. Officials already have opened bidding for construction of radar sites
and a small hydroelectric project which will power the project, dos Santos
said.
Sivam was presented by the Brazilian government at the 1992 U.N. Earth Summit
as a sign of its determination to protect the Amazon from environmental
destruction.
Since then, however, the project has been mired in controversy, with critics
alleging it was overpriced and outdated.
It also was slowed by an alleged corruption scandal and claims that countries
seeking to land the lucrative contract had resorted to espionage. None of the
claims was upheld by a Brazilian government investigation.
Two of four central information gathering centers are expected to be up and
running by 2000, and two more centers should be completed by 2002, officials
said.
19:21 072897
a $1.3 billion air surveillance and datacollecting system in the Amazon
rainforest is finally under way after the government authorized the first
payments, officials said on Monday.
The controversial Amazon Surveillance System (Sivam), which involves the
installation of 19 radar stations, satellite communications systems and other
hightech equipment, has been stuck in the planning stages since it was first
proposed in 1990.
"It's been a long time coming because it is a very big undertaking. But now
the bureaucratic steps have all been taken and work can begin," said Brazil
Air Force Col. Antonio Jose Faria dos Santos who is in charge of the project.
Brazil hopes the system will help it fight drug smuggling in its vast
rainforest and control unauthorized mining and farming which cause widespread
environmental damage.
Sivam also is aimed at improving safety in the region for commercial air
traffic, monitoring meteorological conditions, tracking epidemics and
generally improving Brazil's control over its Western Europesized chunk of
the forest.
The contract was awarded in 1994 to a group led by U.S.
engineering and technology giant Raytheon Co. (A HREF"aol://4784:RTN:")
implementing the program soon.
Just over $1 billion of the project's total $1.3 billion cost will be
provided to Brazil as a loan from the U.S.
ExportImport Bank.
Brazil's Finance Ministry approved a first payment of $90 million late on
Friday. Officials already have opened bidding for construction of radar sites
and a small hydroelectric project which will power the project, dos Santos
said.
Sivam was presented by the Brazilian government at the 1992 U.N. Earth Summit
as a sign of its determination to protect the Amazon from environmental
destruction.
Since then, however, the project has been mired in controversy, with critics
alleging it was overpriced and outdated.
It also was slowed by an alleged corruption scandal and claims that countries
seeking to land the lucrative contract had resorted to espionage. None of the
claims was upheld by a Brazilian government investigation.
Two of four central information gathering centers are expected to be up and
running by 2000, and two more centers should be completed by 2002, officials
said.
19:21 072897
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