geo.wikisort.org - Reservoir

Search / Calendar

The Brumadinho dam disaster occurred on 25 January 2019 when Dam I, a tailings dam at the Córrego do Feijão iron ore mine, 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) east of Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, Brazil, suffered a catastrophic failure.[1] The dam is owned by Vale, the same company that was involved in the 2015 Mariana dam disaster.[2] The dam released a mudflow that advanced through the mine's offices, including a cafeteria during lunchtime, along with houses, farms, inns, and roads downstream.[3][4][5][6] 270 people died as a result of the collapse, of whom 259 were officially confirmed dead, in January 2019, and 11 others reported as missing, whose bodies had not been found.[7][8]

Brumadinho dam disaster
Date25 January 2019 (2019-01-25)
LocationCórrego do Feijão iron ore mine, Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Coordinates20°07′11″S 44°07′17″W
TypeDam failure
ParticipantsVale
Deaths270
Missing6 (included in reported death count)
Arrests13
[Interactive fullscreen map]

Background


According to the national registry of the National Mining Agency, the Córrego do Feijão dam, built in 1976 by the Ferteco Mineração and acquired by the iron ore miner Vale in 2001, was classified as a small structure with low risk of high potential damage. In a statement, the State Department of Environment and Sustainable Development reported that the venture was duly licensed. In December 2018, Vale obtained a license to reuse waste from the dam (about 11.7 million cubic meters) and to close down activities. The dam had not received tailings since 2014 and, according to the company, underwent bi-weekly field inspections.[9]

Vale SA knew that sensors monitoring the dam's structural integrity had problems.[10]


Mariana dam disaster


The Brumadinho dam failure occurred three years and two months after the Mariana dam disaster from November 2015, which killed 19 people and destroyed the village of Bento Rodrigues. The Mariana disaster is considered the worst environmental disaster in Brazil's history and as of January 2019 was still under investigation.[11] Brazil's weak regulatory structures and regulatory gaps allowed the Mariana dam's failure.[12] Three years after the Mariana dam collapse, the companies involved in that environmental disaster have paid only 3.4% of R$785 million in fines.[13] In November 2015, the department in charge of inspecting mining operations in the state of Minas Gerais, the National Department of Mineral Production (DNPM), was worried about the retirement of another 40% of public employees over the course of the next two years.[14]


Collapse


Satellite image of Brumadinho before and after the dam collapse
Satellite image of Brumadinho before and after the dam collapse
Schematic cross section showing design of failed dam
Schematic cross section showing design of failed dam
Path of mudflow after dam failure
Path of mudflow after dam failure

The collapse occurred just after noon, at 12:28 PM. The mud hit the mine's administrative area, where hundreds of the mine's employees were having lunch, as well as the "Vila Ferteco", a small community about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) from the mine. At 3:50 p.m., the mud reached the Paraopeba River, the region's main river, which supplies water to one third of the Greater Belo Horizonte region.[15][16]

The Inhotim Institute, one of largest open-air art centres in Latin America, located in Brumadinho, was evacuated as a precaution, although the mudflow did not reach the sculpture park.[17][18]

On 27 January, around 5:30 a.m., sirens were sounded amid fears for the stability of the mine's adjacent Dam VI, a process water reservoir, where increased water levels were detected. Due to the risk, about 24,000 residents from several districts of Brumadinho were evacuated, including the city's downtown area. Rescue operations were suspended for several hours.[19][16][20]


Aftermath



Victims


On January 26, 2019, Vale's president, Fabio Schvartsman, stated that most of the victims are Vale's employees. Three locomotives and 132 wagons were buried and four railwaymen were missing. The mud destroyed two sections of railway bridge and about 100 metres of railway track.[21] As of January 2020, 259 people were confirmed dead, and 11 were considered missing.[7] Figures were later amended to 270 deaths.[22]


Environment


Iron ore railway bridge destroyed by mudflow, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) downstream from collapsed dam
Iron ore railway bridge destroyed by mudflow, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) downstream from collapsed dam

The dam failure released around 12 million cubic metres of tailings. Metals in the tailings were incorporated into the river sediments, with a diminishing effect at increasing distance from the site of the spill. At Retiro Baixo, 302 km downstream from the minesite, of the 27 elements analysed only cadmium displayed severe enrichment. All others showed minor or no enrichment in the river sediments.[23]

Vale's president, Fabio Schvartsman, said that the dam had been inactive since 2015 and that the material should not be moving too much. "I believe that the environmental risk, in this case, will be much lower than that of Mariana", he said.[24]


Economic impact


As a result of the disaster, on 28 January the Vale S.A. stock price fell 24%, losing 71.3 billion reais (US$19 billion) in market capitalization, the biggest single day loss in the history of the Brazilian stock market, surpassing May 2018, when Petrobrás lost more than R$47 billion in market value. At the end of January 28, Vale's debt was downgraded to a rating of BBB- by Fitch Ratings.[25]

In the city of Brumadinho, many agricultural areas were affected or totally destroyed. The local livestock industry suffered damages, mainly from loss of animals such as cattle and poultry. The local market was also impacted due to the damages, with some stores and establishments remaining closed for a few days. [citation needed]


Impact on the public water supply


The water supply company Companhia de Saneamento de Minas Gerais (COPASA) stated that the tailings had not compromised public water supply,[26] but as a precaution, suspended abstraction of the river water in the communities of Brumadinho, Juatuba, and Pará de Minas.[27] Due to the importance of the river for the municipality, the Agência Reguladora dos Serviços de Água e Esgoto de Pará de Minas (ARSAP) reported that operations could go on as normal.[28]

Following assessment by state and federal health, environment, and agriculture agencies, the Minas Gerais Government announced on 31 January that raw water from the Paraopeba River, from its confluence with Ribeirão Ferro-Carvão to Pará de Mina, posed risks to human and animal health and should not be consumed.[29] Tests demonstrated that twenty other municipalities were affected by the dam’s collapse.[30] The effects of the pollution impacted communities 120 km beyond Brumadhino.[31]


Reactions


The President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, sent three ministers to follow the rescue efforts.[32] The Governor of Minas Gerais, Romeu Zema, announced the formation of a task force to rescue the victims.[33]

The Israeli government sent a 130 strong group including specialist engineers, doctors, search and rescue teams, firefighters and naval divers to Brumadinho to aid Brazilian specialists in finding possible survivors.[34][35][36]

On January 29, Brazilian authorities issued arrest warrants for five employees believed to be connected with the dam collapse, leading to two senior managers of the mine and another Vale employee being arrested, alongside two engineers from the German company TÜV Süd who had been contracted to inspect the dam.[37][38][39]

The local mining union's treasurer called the disaster "premeditated" as there were continuous and long-standing complaints and warnings about the structural integrity of the dam. Vale denied these charges and stated the mine was up-to-date with the latest standards.[38]

One day after the failure, the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources announced a R$250 million fine on the Vale company.[40]

Brazilian judicial authorities froze US$3 billion of Vale's assets, saying real estate and vehicles would be seized if the company could not come up with the money.[41]

In April, Vale's safety inspectors refused to guarantee the stability of at least 18 of its dams and dikes in Brazil.[42]

Brazilian prosecutors announced in January 2020 that Vale SA, auditor TÜV Süd, and 16 individuals, including Vale's ex-president Fabio Schvartsman, would be charged with intentional homicide and environmental offences.[43][44][45] In January 2021, a group of Brazilian claimants brought the first civil lawsuit on German soil against TÜV Süd.[46]

In February 2021, the state government reached an agreement with Vale to repair all environmental damage, and to pay the communities affected socio-economic and socio-environmental reparations, initially estimated at US$7 billion.[43]


See also



References


  1. Schvartsman, Fabio (25 January 2019). "Announcement about Brumadinho breach dam" (in Portuguese). Vale. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  2. "Barragem de rejeitos da Vale se rompe e causa destruição em Brumadinho (MG)" [Vale's tailings dam collapses and causes destruction in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais]. Correio Braziliense (in Brazilian Portuguese). 25 January 2019. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  3. Phillips, Dom (6 February 2019). "'That's going to burst': Brazilian dam workers say they warned of disaster". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  4. "Clarifications regarding Dam I of the Córrego do Feijão Mine". Vale. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  5. "Barragem da Vale se rompe em Brumadinho, na Grande BH" [Vale's tailings dam collapses in Brumadinho, in Belo Horizonte metropolitan area of Belo Horizonte]. G1 (in Portuguese). 26 January 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  6. "Brumadinho dam collapse in Brazil: Vale mine chief resigns". BBC News. 3 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  7. Plumb, Marta Nogueira, Christian (8 January 2020). "Exclusive: Brazil prosecutor aims to charge Vale within days over mining waste dam disaster". Reuters via www.reuters.com.
  8. "Brumadinho: mais duas vítimas do rompimento da barragem da Vale são identificadas". G1 Minas (in Brazilian Portuguese). Belo Horizonte, Brazil. 28 December 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  9. "Brumadinho: O que se sabe sobre o rompimento de barragem que matou ao menos 58 pessoas em MG". BBC News Brasil (in Portuguese). Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  10. "Vale knew about sensor problems at dam before burst – Globo TV". Mining.com. 16 February 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  11. "Tragédia em Brumadinho acontece três anos após desastre ambiental em Mariana". Jornal Nacional. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  12. dos Santos, Rodrigo Salles Pereira; Milanez, Bruno (2017). "The construction of the disaster and the "privatization" of mining regulation: reflections on the tragedy of the Rio Doce Basin, Brazil". SciELO. 14 (2). doi:10.1590/1809-43412017v14n2p127.
  13. "Empresas envolvidas em desastres ambientais quitaram só 3,4% de R$ 785 milhões em multas". O Globo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 6 May 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  14. "Minas tem apenas quatro fiscais para vistoriar barragens e não há previsão de concurso". Estado de Minas (in Brazilian Portuguese). 19 November 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  15. "Tragédia em Brumadinho: 58 mortes confirmadas, 19 corpos identificados, lista tem 305 pessoas sem contato; SIGA". G1 (in Portuguese). Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  16. "Brazil dam rescue resumes after second barrier ruled safe", Sky.
  17. Rebello, Aiuri; Ramalhoso, Wellington. "Barragem se rompe em Brumadinho e atinge casas; vítimas são levadas a BH" [Dam collapses in Brumadinho and hits homes; victims are taken to Belo Horizonte]. UOL (in Portuguese). Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  18. Angeleti, Gabriella (4 March 2019). "Inhotim arts centre reopens in wake of deadly Brazilian dam collapse". The Art Newspaper. London. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  19. "Brazil search resumes after new dam scare". 27 January 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2019 via www.bbc.com.
  20. "Vale updates information on the dam breach in Brumadinho". Vale. 27 January 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  21. "Tragédia em Brumadinho:Lista da Vale de pessoas não encontradas". G1 (in Portuguese). Belo Horizonte, Brazil. 26 January 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  22. "Brazil’s Vale Vowed ‘Never Again.’ Then Another Dam Collapsed." by Samantha Pearson, et al, The Wall Street Journal, December 31, 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  23. dos Santos Vergilio, Cristiane; Lacerda, Diego; Vaz de Oliveira, Braulio Cherene (3 April 2020). "Metal concentrations and biological effects from one of the largest mining disasters in the world (Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, Brazil)". Nature. 10 (5936): 5936. Bibcode:2020NatSR..10.5936V. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-62700-w. PMC 7125165. PMID 32246081. S2CID 214783966.
  24. "Técnicos avaliam extensão do dano ambiental de rompimento da barragem". Jornal Nacional (in Portuguese). 26 January 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  25. Laier, Paula (28 January 2019). "Vale stock plunges after Brazil disaster; $19 billion in market value lost". Reuters. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  26. "CLARIFICATION NOTE 11 - B1 DAM DISASTER". meioambiente.mg. Instituto Mineiro de Gestão das Águas. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  27. "Por precaução a captação de águas do Rio Paraopeba está suspensa no município" (in Portuguese). Prefeitura de Paraopeba. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  28. Mazzoco, Heitor (29 January 2019). "With mud, Pará de Minas will have a long-term supply problem". Otempo. Otempo. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  29. "Paraopeba water is unfit for consumption, warns Government of Minas". Bhaz. Bhaz. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  30. Lopes, Nathan. "Tragedy Brumadinho". uol. uol. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  31. "Ten towns hit by river pollution from Brazil dam disaster". Phys.org. AFP. 13 February 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  32. Ernesto, Marcelo (25 January 2019). "Em mensagem, Bolsonaro lamenta rompimento de barragem em Brumadinho" [In a message, Bolsonaro mourned the tailings dam collapse in Brumadinho]. Estado de Minas (in Portuguese). Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  33. da Fonseca, Marcelo (25 January 0214). "Governo de Minas cria força-tarefa para acompanhar barragem de Brumadinho" [Minas Gerais government creates task-force to monitor Brumadinho's dam]. Correio Braziliense (in Portuguese). Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  34. Oliveira, Eliane (27 January 2019). "Militares de Israel que ajudarão nas buscas em Brumadinho embarcam para o Brasil". O Globo (in Brazilian Portuguese).
  35. Roberto, Jose. "Israel posta imagens dos militares que ajudarão em Brumadinho". VEJA.com (in Brazilian Portuguese).
  36. staff, T. O. I.; AP. "Israeli rescue team arrives in Brazil as dam collapse toll hits 58". timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  37. "Brazil dam disaster death toll mounts as arrests warrants issued". CBS News. 29 January 2019.
  38. Jan 29, Thomson Reuters · Posted; January 29, 2019 10:25 AM ET | Last Updated. "3 Brazil mining company employees, 2 contractors arrested in dam disaster | CBC News". CBC. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  39. Silva De Sousa, Marcelo; Jeantet, Diane (31 January 2019). "Brazilian environmental group tests water after dam collapse". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 1 February 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  40. "Ibama multa Vale em R$ 250 milhões por tragédia em Brumadinho". noticias.uol.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  41. "New alert as hundreds feared dead in Brazil dam disaster". São Paulo. Agence France-Presse. 27 January 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  42. MarketScreener, Samantha Pearson and Luciana Magalhaes (1 April 2019). "Inspectors Fail to Guarantee Safety of 18 Vale Dams, Dikes in Brazil -- 2nd Update". Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  43. "Vale dam disaster: $7bn compensation for disaster victims". BBC News. London. 4 February 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  44. Costa, Luciano (21 January 2021). "Brazil to file charges on Tuesday against miner Vale for dam disaster". Reuters. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  45. Millard, Peter; Valle, Sabrina (22 January 2020). "From Mining Savior to Homicide Charges, the Fall of Vale's Chief". Bloomberg. New York. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  46. "TÜV SÜD Hit by 'Significant Damages' Claim in Germany Over 2019 Brazil Dam Tragedy". Insurance Journal. 22 January 2021.





Текст в блоке "Читать" взят с сайта "Википедия" и доступен по лицензии Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike; в отдельных случаях могут действовать дополнительные условия.

Другой контент может иметь иную лицензию. Перед использованием материалов сайта WikiSort.org внимательно изучите правила лицензирования конкретных элементов наполнения сайта.

2019-2024
WikiSort.org - проект по пересортировке и дополнению контента Википедии