Work on part of a huge hydroelectric dam being built in the Brazilian Amazon has been halted by a tribal protest for an eighth day.

One hundred and fifty indigenous people from five different tribes are occupying a work area at the Belo Monte dam construction site, saying promises made to them by the builders and the government have not been fulfilled.

While the government says the dam will bring much needed clean energy, with minimal social and environmental impact, the infrastructure cuts right through a channel and blocks the natural flow of the Xingu River.

The tribes say the runoff from the construction is already dirtying the water where they fish.

A judge denied the builders' request for the indigenous to be forcefully evicted.

Al Jazeera's Gabriel Elizondo reports from the Belo Monte construction site in northern Brazil.