Judge suspends Amazon dam work

A Brazilian judge has suspended work on a massive hydroelectric dam in the Amazon jungle state of Para.

Federal Judge Ronaldo Desterro said in a statement that environmental agency Ibama erred in approving work to begin on the Belo Monte dam.

The statement cited 29 environmental conditions which allegedly have not been met, such as the recovery of degraded areas and measures to guarantee the navigability of rivers in the area.

Belo Monte is designed to be capable of producing 11,000 megawatts of electricity. If completed, it would be the world's third-largest after China's Three Gorges dam and Itaipu, which is jointly run by Brazil and Paraguay.

The judge's ruling was posted on a court website.

The project has come under attack from environmentalists and indigenous groups who say it would devastate wildlife and the livelihoods of 40,000 people who live in the area to be flooded.

The government says the dam will provide clean, renewable energy and is essential to fuel the South American country's growing economy.

Officials say they spent years planning to protect the environment and local residents before the dam was approved.