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Affected population lives off fishing and tourism and will have their main sources of income severely harmed

Image: Fred Loureiro/Secom ES

The city of Linhares (ES) closed the Regência and Povoação beaches after the mud from the dam breach in Mariana (MG), owned by Samarco, controlled by the companies Vale and BHP Billiton, reached the sea. The city has spread signs along the beaches informing that the water is unsuitable for bathing.

The mud with ore tailings coming from the Doce river reached the sea yesterday on November 22, according to information from the city hall. According to the Minister of the Environment, Izabella Teixeira, the mud should spread over an extension of 9 kilometers into the sea. The population of Regência e Povoação lives off fishing and tourism and their activities are hampered by the muddy water that flows under the sea.

On November 20, the holder of the 3rd Civil Court of Linhares, Judge Thiago Albani, ordered Samarco to remove the containment buoys installed and open the mouth of the Rio Doce so that the tailings sludge would dissipate into the sea. For the decision, environmental technicians from the municipality and agencies such as the State Institute for the Environment and Water Resources (Iema) were heard.

The lawsuit was filed by the attorney of the city of Linhares. According to technicians from Iema, holding back the arrival of the mud at sea would bring more damage, such as the risk of flooding and sedimentation of the sediment in lakes in the region.

The decision to open the mouth of the Rio Doce is contrary to the determination of the Federal Court of Espírito Santo, which required the mining company to take measures to prevent the mud from reaching the sea.

Samarco released a note informing that it is taking the measures defined by the Public Ministry, Iema, Instituto Chico Mendes and Tamar, in order to direct the mud to the sea and protect the fauna and flora at the mouth of the Rio Doce.

According to the note, the company provides equipment for opening the sand bank that prevents the river from reaching the sea on the south side of the mouth. "Four machines work 24 hours a day in the excavations, supported by a dredger and pumps that help pump the mud."

The document also informed that the containment barrier continues to be installed on the riverbanks with the objective of protecting the fauna and flora, without impeding the flow of mud to the sea.

“The 9,000 meters of barriers continue to be installed longitudinally on both banks of the river and some islands located in the estuary. It is worth noting that the purpose of the barriers is to isolate the fauna and flora that live in the surroundings, without impeding the arrival of the plume to the sea”, added the note.

the absurd case

The collapse of Samarco's tailings dam created a wave of mud that destroyed the district of Bento Rodrigues, in Mariana. The mud reached other municipalities in Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo, and even passed through conservation units and reached the Doce River, causing devastation of the local flora and fauna and harming the water supply (levels of iron, manganese and aluminum presented values ​​absurdly higher than those considered safe). There are more than 600 hectares of environmental protection areas on the banks of rivers whose vegetation cover has been completely lost. Twelve people remain missing. Seven dead were identified and four bodies await identification. The federal government began to impose fines on the company, after taking about a week to act.