位於巴西的新田大壩，這個由巴西營造業龍頭Camargo Correa主導的國際開發案，才剛落成不久即在上週發生嚴重的工程問題。高達202公尺的壩體發生滲漏情形，且無法儲水。依據巴西地球之友的空拍畫面顯示，在壩體基座有個無法進行修復的大型裂痕。
國際河網（IRN）拉丁美洲環保運動主席史微克斯警告：「假使這種情勢失控的洩洪發生在雨季，那麼很可能造成數以千計的民眾溺斃。」
造價6億7100萬美元的新田水壩位於卡諾阿斯河上游。它是一座880百萬瓦水力發電站的主要動力來源。
新田是世界上第三高的水壩，表面為混凝土內部則填以岩石所造的水壩。史微克斯表示，近來這種設計對於高海拔的水壩已經越來越普遍。新田在1998年獲得的35年建造和運作權，為Enercan公司所有。
幾乎就在10月蓄水池才剛注滿水，水壩就慢慢出現漏水現象。工程師認為這是因為一處錯誤的分支隧道所造成的。
但是上星期蓄水池突然空了，53公尺（160英尺）深的水在幾日內全部流洩一空。水壩所蓄積的水往支流河床奔流而下，並流入下游水壩原本因地區嚴重乾旱而幾乎無儲水的蓄水池。
Enercan國際財團總裁史耐德在6月22日表示，水壩本身沒有受到威脅，因為蓄水池經由一道分支隧道洩洪，該隧道乃是和水壩「分離且獨立的構造」。
但是6月24日所拍攝的空中相片卻顯示該水道的失敗已經嚴重危害水壩的整體結構。
代表因水壩而失去土地或遭到驅逐的農民「水壩受害民眾運動」，5月曾寫信給建造水壩的公司以及各環境當局，警告蓄水槽持續漏水的問題。他們針對下游民眾會遭到的洪水危險表示憂慮，但是卻沒有得到任何回應。
史微克斯斷言該國際財團無法保護下游居民遠離潛在的水壩災難，一旦水壩在雨季發生災難，居民的家園將付諸流水。
該財團已經遣送工程小組到水壩現場探勘，並著手進行決定如何處理此問題。
The recently completed Campos Novos Dam in southern Brazil failed last week to contain the water in its reservoir, releasing all the water impounded behind the 626-foot (202-meter) tall structure. Aerial photographs released by Friends of the Earth Brazil show major cracks at the base of the dam, suggesting irreparable damage.
"If this uncontrolled release had happened during the rainy season thousands of people could have been drowned," warned Glenn Switkes, International Rivers Network (IRN) Latin America campaigns director.
The US$671 million Campos Novos Dam is located on the Canoas River. It is the power behind a 880 megawatt hydroelectric generating station.
Campos Novos is the world's third tallest dam built with a concrete face filled in with rock. Switkes says this design has become increasingly common in recent years for very high dams. Campos Novos' 35 year build and operate concession was awarded in 1998. It is owned by Enercan.
Almost as soon as the reservoir started filling up with water in October, it slowly began leaking. Engineers blamed a faulty diversion tunnel.
But last week the reservoir suddenly emptied, falling over 160 feet (53 meters) in a few days. That water raced down the parched riverbed and into the reservoir of a dam downstream that was almost empty due to a severe regional drought.
Enio Schneider, president of the Enercan consortium, said on June 22 saying that the dam itself was not threatened because the reservoir draining occurred through a diversion tunnel which "is an isolated structure" from the dam.
But aerial photographs taken on June 24 suggest that the tunnel failure has seriously undermined the dam's structural integrity.
The Movement of Dam Affected Peoples (MAB), which represent farmers who have lost land or been evicted by dams, had already written a letter in May to the dam's funders and environmental authorities warning them of continued leakage from the reservoir. They voiced worry about flood dangers for people downstream, but got no response.
Switkes alleges that the consortium is failing to protect the residents who live downstream from a potentially catastropic dam failure that could wash their homes away if the dam failed during the rainy season.
The consortium has sent engineering crews to the scene, and is in the process of deciding how to handle the situation.
