Civil society organizes against the expansion of Vale's business in Pará.
In the center of Belém (PA), religious representatives conveyed their messages, there was a poem recitation with symbolic mud pouring, chants, and slogans warning about mining exploration in the Serra dos Carajás; Vale is responsible for most of the projects in the region, and there are indications of irregularities.
By Joana Zanotto, Brazil of Fact Mining in the Serra dos Carajás, in Pará, is booming. The company Vale SA is responsible for most of the projects in the region, and there are indications of irregularities. Last year, the company approved investments of around US$1,1 billion in the Salobo II copper extraction project in Marabá (PA), and doubled most of the Carajás Railway (EFC) – which cuts through indigenous territories and agrarian reform settlements to transport iron ore to ports on the coast of Maranhão.
One month after Vale's socio-environmental crime in Brumadinho (MG), popular movements held political events in homage to the victims and protested against the mining company in at least six municipalities in Pará. Representatives of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB), the Catholic Church and other segments of civil society joined the street demonstrations in Altamira (PA), Belém (PA) and Parauapebas (PA). In Marabá, the protest takes place this Wednesday (27).
In the center of Belém, the capital of Pará state, an interfaith service at Praça do Operário in São Brás brought together social movements, church representatives, and passersby in the late afternoon to show solidarity with the victims of Brumadinho and Mariana (MG). The event also commemorated the dam collapse by the multinational mining company Hydro Alunorte in Barcarena, a city near Belém, just over a year ago.
Religious representatives delivered their sermons, there was a poem recitation with symbolic mud pouring, chants, and slogans. The event concluded around 19:30 PM with a large circle where people placed their right hand on the shoulder of the person next to them and their left hand pointed towards the center, sending out energies of light. In the center of the circle, the number 310, illuminated with lit candles, represented the missing and deceased victims of Brumadinho.
According to Márcio Zonta, leader of the Movement for Popular Sovereignty in Mining (MAM), "regardless of the crimes in Brumadinho and Mariana (MG), for the past three years, Vale has been closing the Southern complex, as the Minas Gerais complex is called, to the detriment of the Northern complex, in the Carajás region. The Carajás Complex has an iron ore content of around 70%, while in Minas Gerais it does not reach 50%. Therefore, Vale's big business today is in Carajás, from where it derives most of its profit."
Vale has not confirmed the information.
Irregularities
The Civil Defense and the Environment Secretariat of Parauapebas point out irregularities in Vale's Emergency Action Plan for Dams in Marabá. Information is lacking regarding the environmental impacts caused by a potential rupture of the Sossego dam: the presentation of the worst-case scenario, the main streets and roads affected within each neighborhood in the urban perimeter, a socioeconomic survey to identify the affected population, and a support plan for the families.
The regional coordinator of the Mining Affairs Commission (CAM) of the OAB/PA in Carajás, Rubens Moraes Júnior, analyzed a report presented by the Municipality of Parauapebas (PA) on the situation of the dams in the municipality last Friday (22): “The information corroborated what we already suspected: Vale does not comply with the law and withholds several essential documents and information for adequate preparation by Civil Defense and other security agents in relation to the emergency plan in case of a possible disaster”.
The state commission, divided into regional coordinations, has been dedicated to listening to the affected population and diagnosing the main human rights violations resulting from mining activity. "Given that Vale has not presented any reason to justify non-compliance with these legal requirements, I will forward this report to the president of CAM and the OAB so that they can assess possible legal measures," added Moraes Júnior.
The Brasil de Fato news outlet contacted the mining company's communications department, which stated that all Emergency Action Plans for Dams (PAEBM), which meet the requirements of Ordinance 70.389 of the National Mining Agency (formerly DNPM), comply with legal requirements. According to the mining company, the dams are regularly inspected by the competent authorities, and monitoring and inspection data demonstrate that the structures are stable, operating normally, and with an operational safety factor adequate to what is determined by law. The company also reiterates that it maintains constant dialogue with Civil Defense and municipalities to clarify any doubts.
Fear and confrontation
Ana Paula Ferreira Sampaio, a resident of Parauapebas, is a Christian and has been an activist with the MAM (Movement of People Affected by Dams) for almost two years. After the Brumadinho disaster, she spent several sleepless nights overwhelmed by grief. She believes that the Catholic Church, together with social movements, can help pressure the government to "stop the many instances of disrespect towards life on a planetary level, both human life and the lives of the forest in general."
Pope Francis convened the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon region for October 2019, to identify "new paths of evangelization for that portion of the people" and because of the crisis in the Amazon rainforest.