Public Prosecutor's Office files class action lawsuit against Porto Alegre City Hall for negligence during the floods.

247 - The Public Prosecutor's Office has filed a class action lawsuit to hold the Porto Alegre City Hall responsible for the damages caused to the population during the floods of May 2024, according to reports. Zero hourThe agency claims that failures in the city's flood protection system occurred due to "omissions committed by the city government over time," and is seeking collective compensation of R$ 50 million.

The Public Prosecutor's Office argues that the funds should be allocated to climate adaptation projects in Porto Alegre, such as linear parks, river parks, rain gardens, and ecological corridors. Furthermore, the Public Prosecutor's Office opposes individual compensation for all residents and businesses located in neighborhoods that should have been protected by the flood defense system. 

The agency justifies the action by stating that Porto Alegre and cities in the Metropolitan Region are experiencing a special situation due to their flood protection system. Prosecutors detail that, throughout 2023, the government of Sebastião Melo (MDB) noticed flaws in the system and did not act to repair the problems. "Other elements gathered (...) reveal the inertia of the Capital's Public Administration in relation to evidence and suspicions of flaws in the Flood Protection System," says an excerpt.

The lawsuit also cites the dismantling of government structures responsible for the flood control system, criticizing the decision of the city's then-mayor, Nelson Marchezan Jr. (PSDB), to abolish the Department of Stormwater Drainage (DEP) in 2017.  

Another crucial point of the lawsuit is the Public Prosecutor's argument that the 2024 flood did not exceed the 6-meter mark established for the city's flood protection system. The historic rise in the Guaíba River's level, although significant, was not enough to justify the system's collapse.