Samarco proposes R$90 billion deal, nine years after the dam disaster

Nine years after the collapse of the Fundão dam, in Mariana, the mining companies responsible – BHP, Samarco and Vale – signed a provisional text for a repair agreement with a proposal for R$90 billion in compensation that must be paid to the Federal Government and the affected localities : the states of Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo and their respective municipalities.

_{Bento Rodrigues after the dam collapse (Photo: reproduction/Alexandre Nascimento/G1)}

The deal

The total of the agreement is, in fact, R$127 billion, of which R$37 billion has already been paid by the companies, and therefore, the current value of the agreement is R$90 billion. Additionally, payment will be made within an undetermined period of time, which increases the wait for compensation for damages caused almost ten years ago. In addition to all these conditions, the mining companies still demand that, in order to comply with the agreement, all open legal proceedings be closed, regardless of who the author is.

Analysts say that even though it seems favorable, the agreement does not differ much from previous years, mainly because there is nothing that obliges the debtor companies to pay, that is, the agreement can be signed and never paid. There is still the situation of emptying the obligations to do, the main of which was the removal of waste from polluted waters.

_{View of the Fundão dam, where the collapse occurred (Photo: reproduction/Avener Prado/Folhapress)}

About the accident

On November 5, 2015, at 4:20 pm, Brasília time, the Fundão dam broke, dumping 40 million cubic meters into the Doce River, which also polluted its tributaries and reached the sea. Nineteen people died as the strong current invaded nearby cities, and dozens of others were sick or injured.

Almost nine years after the rupture, there are still families in some of the 49 affected municipalities who are homeless and without support, which explains the need for new agreements. As if this situation were not enough, the contamination still affects the local fauna and flora, which could have subsequent consequences for the health of the locals. The agreement proposed by Samarco exempts the company from all future consequences that may occur with people in the affected region.

Photo: City affected by the dam collapse (Reproduction/Leo Fontes/O Tempo)