With international news being dominated by the rise of ISIL and the ever fascinating campaign of Donald Trump, it may surprise readers to know that there are issues outside the popular spotlight. This is exactly the case for the village of Regência, and the Doce River—two environments that are facing ecological disaster after the collapse of the Fundão dam, which supported the reservoir of the Samarco mine.
The people of the village stood by as their livelihoods—fishing, eco-tourism, or a mixture of both—turned from a beautiful, sparkling source of life into to a brown tide of mud and iron-ore residue headed to the Atlantic ocean.
Samarco—a joint venture of the Brazilian mining company Vale and the Ango-Australian firm BHP Billiton—are responsible for what the villagers can only see as an existential threat.
For the people who thought that they would stay in their homes for the rest of their lives, hundreds are now being forced to leave their homes, being left with nothing.
Those who are working on solving the problem have stated that the best thing that could happen at this point would be for the “mud” to reach the sea, as it will do less damage to the sea than the river.
However, the mud, which is expected to spread for miles along the coast, is entering an area rich with marine life. Home to humpback whales, La Plata dolphins and the endangered leatherback turtle, the natural habitats of these animals will be damaged severely, if not destroyed. Additionally, the plants and animal life along the river banks have been devastated by the reduced oxygen levels brought on by the sludge, potentially full of heavy metals and other toxins.
Along with the animals and plants that are affected by the spill, approximately 150,000 people are reliant on deliveries of drinking water from Samarco, with the Doce River being suspended from use for human consumption—due to the national water agency’s fear of what was in the spill. Eleven bodies have been found since the dam burst and 12 are reported missing, while many are going without basic needs.
Samarco, which was operating the three-tiered system, is fast at work trying to fix the situation, after the damage caused from the collapse led to the integrity of the other two tiers being compromised.
Groups like Greenpeace have been protesting the company at their headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, after reports that overly lax regulations and inspections may have led to the collapse. Moreover, though Vale and BHP Billiton will be paying for cleanups and compensations, many believe that it will not cover the damage caused.