Check out the full dossier prepared by the MAB about the breakup of the mining company Samarco dams, owned by Vale and BHP Billiton, which caused a “tragedy foretold” in Mariana (MG).
District Bento Rodrigues in Mariana (MG) buried by mud – Photo: Douglas Magno / Time
The day November 5, 2015 will be remembered forever as one more day that the excessive profit is placed in front of people’s lives. Around 16 hours, the dam of Fundão, owned by Samarco Mineração, in the municipality of Mariana, Minas Gerais, broke up and released a sea of mud. The flood mud reached another dam of the mining tailings, the dam of Santarém, which also broke pouring the entire contents into Bento Rodrigues district, located 15 km from Mariana center. The district where they lived 620 people was hit by the flood and had 90% of their destroyed homes.
Residents without receiving any notice from the company, ran at the sound of the dam breaking.Hastily fled to the hills and high parts of the district. Several residents reported seeing people being taken by the flood. Homes, schools, electricity, roads, everything was destroyed. The residents were stranded and have been rescued by helicopter fire.
The mud went down reaching more villages on the way. The city of Long Bar, distant approximately 70 km from the dam site, was also hit. The mud invaded the city center, more than 100 people were left homeless and many residents were stranded in the countryside.
Estimates of the authorities are over 2000 achieved. That paragraph are not included all the municipalities that have compromised water supply, contaminated river and fish kills.
Dead and missing
There are controversial figures of dead and missing. According to more than 500 people were rescued firefighters. The authorities confirmed the death of three people: an employee of the mining company that had a sudden illness at the time of disruption, a man found in the Rio Doce near Barra Longa and a 7 year old Bento Rodrigues district that was carried by the mud.Samarco scored 13 workers missing. The city released the official list of affected listed 12 people Bento Rodrigues, thus totaling 25 missing. Militants MAB talked with several affected who reported missing relatives, others witnessed the moment the mud dragged locals, so the number of victims will probably be most of the data being disclosed.
Will supply water to the population
The mud reached the Rio Doce on the 6th and compromised water catchment various locations.The plant Tout, located in the municipality of Rio Doce 100 km from Mariana, paralyzed the power generation and opened the floodgates releasing water and mud. According to the Consortium operator formed by Vale itself and Power Generation Alliance, the generation was stopped to prevent possible damage to the plant.
According to official information of the competent bodies, the mud will arrive in Governador Valadares in the early hours of Sunday (08). The municipal supply service will stop the water catchment to analyze the quality and verify whether it is possible treatment to normalize the capture. This procedure is being adopted by all municipalities that capture water from the Rio Doce to the Holy Spirit. Only the city of Governador Valadares has a population of over 270 000 inhabitants, all of it supplied with water from the Rio Doce.
Toxic Waste
The dam of mud came from the mining of iron. It is known that at least four watercourses were affected by the waste: Fundão stream, river Gualaxo North, Carmel River and Rio Doce.According to a report from industry workers, the residue contains iron and heavy metals such as mercury and arsenic, which are highly toxic elements. At a news conference, the president of Samarco said that the waste is inert and does not harm humans.
This is not the opinion of those affected who had contact with the mud, many report malaise, dizziness, headache, pain in the neck. The volunteers who made the initial treatment of victims also reported that those affected had symptoms of poisoning: dizziness, nausea, headache and mental confusion.
The prosecutor of Minas Gerais has appointed five prosecutors to investigate the causes of the disaster and responsibility. Carlos Eduardo Pinto promoter reported that tests will be performed to see if the mud is toxic.
Sites Affected
City of Long Bar – Photo: Alex de Jesus / Time
The mud avalanche hit the municipality of Mariana (and their affected districts: Bento Rodrigues, Paracatu Low Paracatu Up, Santa Rita, Campinas, grass Bridge, Stone), Long Bar (and its district: Gesteira), Acaiaca ( Guava and its district) and Rio Doce.
Whose responsibility?
According to the company itself, causes the rupture of dams are still unknown. News reported the occurrence of tremors observed by the Seismology Center of USP (Universidade de São Paulo). However, in an interview by Professor Marcelo Assumpção, from the Department of Geophysics of the USP Globo News, himself said the aftershocks were of low intensity. Were weak tremors that often are not perceived by people. According to the professor, this type of shock can occur every day and hardly affect the structure of a tailings dam.
For MAB, systematic disclosure of this information seems like a company’s strategy to evade responsibilities. The company is responsible for construction, maintenance and guarantee that the work will operate correctly and safely. Therefore, any occurring is the mining responsibility.
At the time of the accident, Samarco was performing a work of heightening the Fundão and Germano dam. The company has not released if there was a relationship of these works to the accident.
Samarco Mineração is owned by Vale (50%) and Anglo-Australian BHP Billiton (50%), the two largest mining companies in the world. In 2014 Samarco had a net profit of 2.8 billion reais. It obtained, from April to June 2015, net profit of 5.14 billion reais, while BHP earned 6.42 billion dollars by June 2015. So we’re talking about some of the biggest companies in the world. Even with all that profit, these miners refused to invest the minimum security necessary to prevent a catastrophe of such magnitude.
The company was already aware of the risks
In 2013 the State Prosecutor commissioned a study by experts who concluded that weaknesses in the dam could lead to its collapse. Therefore, the prosecution demanded Samarco building an emergency plan and alert. A plan that was never done. Several hit Bento Rodrigues reported that for years the community had been making complaints about the insecurity of dams.
Treatment to those affected
For now, what can be seen is a delay to the care of those affected. There was no evacuation and contingency plan. The company was slow to take the hit for hotels, what happened only after the Public Prosecutor to order the transfer of the people. In such cases of accidents, companies leave the “dust settles”, individualized negotiations, severance pay derisory compared to the damage suffered and then leave the people to their own devices. This is a practice that can be observed in other similar cases.
Mobilization of society and state
Rescue residents in Mariana (MG) – Photo: Leo Sources / Time
As soon as the disaster was announced society mobilized and began a fundraising campaign donations and several people came forward to volunteer work. The city, Fire Brigade, Civil Defence, Military and Civil Police, State Government and Federal Government mobilized and initiated care to those affected.
The affected homeless were taken to the Arena Mariana, who became temporary accommodation. There people did a record, received initial medical attention and serious cases were sent to the John XXIII Hospital in Belo Horizonte by helicopter. The presence and Samarco’s performance was delayed.
There are still risks
The complex tailings dams where dam Fundão and Santarém were located also has over a dam: Germano.
The Germano dam does not show evidence of rupture, but the body of Firemen did not rule out the possibility of rupture, which would multiply the catastrophe. This third dam is twice as large as the two dams that were broken. The population has been alerted and activities in the Samarco mine are paralyzed.
Labor MAB
Militants MAB talk to authorities about the rights of those affected.Photo: Rafaela Dotta – Brazil Fact
This Saturday, the Movement of Dam Affected People went about doing follow-up work of the authorities in the rescue and care of victims, and the organizational work of the affected families.This work is fundamental to the empowerment of the population. So that people’s rights are not trampled and those affected are not forgotten, the struggle and organization are needed.
MAB activists accompanied the work of the authorities, spoke to hit rescued Arena Mariana, talked to achieved in hotels where they were allocated, held meetings with local organizations and continue investigating the facts to contribute to the organization of the population.
On 12/11 the Movement of People Affected by Dams, along with leaders of the Church, will conduct the walk through the Right to Life, in order to show solidarity affected families and strengthen the responsible companies pay for damage caused to people’s lives. The walk will close with a debate on the rights of those affected and the responsibilities of the accident.
On 17/11 is there an open debate in Belo Horizonte meeting achieved, governments, parliamentarians, trade unions, movements, churches and social pastoral to discuss the responsibility for what happened and how will the situation of families in Mariana and other cities.
The MAB also charges the company answers about what will be done about the impact on cities of Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo that are bordered by the Rio Doce, especially those that take water directly from the river for supplies.
