RESETTLEMENT

The resettlement program’s mission is to restore the ways of life and organization of communities which lost their homes due to the passage of the tailings after the Fundão dam collapse – Bento Rodrigues and Paracatu de Baixo districts in Mariana; Gesteira, in Barra Longa; and the rural communities of the respective municipalities. Its main goal is to ensure the homes and the areas where they will be placed, such as the public facilities meet the needs raised by future residents, preserving their habits, their neighborhood relations and cultural and religious traditions.

  • Designed with the active participation of future residents, the resettlement project involves the construction of entire cities.
  • Resettlement model with the protagonism of families in the construction of the project for their communities.

THE RESETTLEMENTS OF BENTO RODRIGUES AND PARACATU DE BAIXO, IN MARIANA (MG STATE), TAKE SHAPE WITH THE FIRST HOUSES BEING COMPLETED, IN ITS PAVED STREETS, COLLECTIVE GOODS IN FINAL STAGE, LIGHTED ROADS AND ADVANCED NFRASTRUCTURE WORKS. THE WORKS WERE ADAPTED TO THE COVID-19 SCENERY. ABOUT 470 FAMILIES ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN THE PROCESS.

  • Bento Rodrigues | 211 families*: with the progress of infrastructure works and the completion of the first houses, the resettlement of Bento Rodrigues takes the shape of the district which was designed along with its future residents. The construction of 37 houses and 3 public facilities (school, service post and health services) is underway. The paving of the access road and major roads is now completed. The interventions at the Municipal School and at the Health and Service Center are in its brickwork while drainage, electricity, water, and sewage networks are moving forward its conclusion. Approximately 140 projects were filed at the City Hall, permits for 84 houses and 3 public facilities are issued and 17 licenses were issued for the lots with no buildings.
  • Paracatu de Baixo | 98 families*: several infrastructure works are underway in the resettlement of Paracatu de Baixo, such as the execution of a sanitary landfill, earthworks for access roads and areas of plots, works for storm drains, water networks and sewage. The construction of 8 houses is underway. More than 70 buildings with conceptual house designs have been completed. 24 simplified licenses were issued to implement the foundation (23 houses and the Municipal School).
  • Gesteira | 26 families*: since the beginning of 2020, the resettlement of Gesteira has been treated in Public Civil Action, in the 12th Federal Civil / Agrarian Court of Minas Gerais State. In May 2020, the conceptual project was completed and filed for proper approval. The only pending issue was the water supply. The negotiations about the best alternative are still being made at the 12th Federal Court. Renova Foundation awaits this definition to continue with the work.
  • Family Resettlement | 128 families*: family resettlement is the option for those affected who have lost their homes but want to live outside the collective resettlements of Bento Rodrigues, Paracatu de Baixo or Gesteira. 47 properties were purchased for families which chose for this modality to repair the right to housing, with 17 properties to renovate, 28 properties to build and 2 vacant lots.
  • Rural communities in Mariana and Barra Longa | 14 families*: the reconstruction of the housing of families in the rural areas of Mariana and Barra Longa is part of the repair actions. The work contemplates restoring the right to adequate housing, resuming productive activities, and accessing infrastructure and the collective assets of communities. 8 houses of the reconstruction modality were delivered.

*THE NUMBER OF FAMILIES IN EACH RESETTLEMENT IS ESTIMATED AND CHANGES DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF MIGRATING BETWEEN MODALITIES – FROM COLLECTIVE RESETTLEMENT TO FAMILY RESETTLEMENT, FOR EXAMPLE – OR CHOOSING ANOTHER REPAIR FORM.

  • R$ 889.3 million will be allocated to the resettlement program in 2020
  • R$ 826.2 million disbursed to date.
    Until the villages and properties are rebuilt, everyone has the right to housing guaranteed by the Renova Foundation in the Mariana and Barra Longa region.

RESETTLEMENT STATUS

Bento Rodrigues

Paracatu de Baixo

Gesteira

For more information:

Bento Rodrigues Paracatu de Baixo Gesteira

Measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic

INFRASTRUCTURE AND ACCESS

The reconstruction and recovery of damaged infrastructures in the Mariana and Barra Longa region, in Minas Gerais State, are part of the repair actions undertaken by the Renova Foundation since 2016. Houses, rural properties, schools, bridges, squares, artesian wells and retaining slopes were delivered after extensive work involving demolition, cleaning and removal of waste, rubble and debris resulting from the collapse. 

  • More than 1,600 works already completed and delivered.
  • 142.2 kilometers of recovered accesses.
  • More than 1,400 kilometers of accesses under maintenance.
  • 212 kilometers of fences were built on rural properties.

Barra Longa (MG State)

The only municipality with a directly impacted urban area, Barra Longa had its public and private equipments cleaned and restructured. 

  • More than 320 renovated / reconstructed properties (residences, rural properties, trading shops, and schools).
  • Main works delivered: new Manoel Lino Mol Square, Beira Rio Avenue, Gustavo Capanema Municipal School, the sports court and the square in the district of Gesteira.
  • Hotel Xavier, a bicentennial building, is part of a group of 12 buildings listed and inventoried by the municipality which are undergoing architectural restoration works.

WATER SAFETY

The water security of the municipalities that have had an impact on the quality and supply of water due to the Fundão dam collapse is one of the fronts on which the Renova Foundation operates. Improvements were made to water treatment plants (ETAs) along the impacted stretch and alternative collection systems were built, which reduce the risk of shortages in 24 municipalities which collected water from the Doce River. Treatment at stations is what makes raw water have the necessary characteristics to be considered suitable for human consumption.

  • 13 completed Water Treatment Systems, between conventional ETAs and simplified treatments.
  • 10 water pipelines completed (between the built and the renovated ones).
  • 15 Alternative Capture Systems completed (between surface and underground sources).
    In municipalities with up to 100 thousand inhabitants, 30% of the water sent for treatment must originate independently from the Doce River; for larger cities, the target will be 50%.
  • Governador Valadares pipeline under construction.
    With a length of 35 km, the pipeline will take the water from the Corrente Grande River to the Central, Vila Isa and Santa Rita ETAs. The work, expected to be delivered in 2021, will have an investment of approximately R$ 172.4 million.

For more information:

Major Themes Water Journey for recovery

SANITATION

A fundamental action for the revitalization of the Doce River is due to the compensatory measure that foresees the Renova Foundation resources allocation to the municipalities impacted by the tailings for improvement projects in the collection, and treatment of sewage, and the proper disposal of solid waste. Investments can take the Doce River to a level of depollution which has not been seen in years. The initiative is considered fundamental to revitalize the river and improve the health conditions of residents. The forecast is that around 1.5 million people will benefit.

  • R$ 600 million available for collection, sewage treatment and proper disposal of solid waste projects in 39 municipalities.
    According to the Doce River Basin Committee (CBH-Doce), 80% of all sewage generated by the municipalities affected by the Fundão dam collapse does not undergo treatment and is dumped directly into the river. Virtually all the collected solid waste will end up in landfills.
  • 7 municipalities started the works to treat sewage and solid waste with funds transferred by the Renova Foundation.
  • Until July 2020, R$ 10.5 million were transferred to sanitary sewage and solid waste actions to the municipalities of Alpercata (MG State), Dionísio (MG State), Fernandes Tourinho (MG State), Iapu (MG State), Ipaba (MG State), Ipatinga (MG State), Itueta (MG State), Marliéria (MG State), Rio Casca (MG State), São José do Goiabal (MG State), São Domingos do Prata (MG State), Sem-Peixe (MG State), Baixo Guandu (ES State), Colatina (ES State) and Vale do Piranga Multisectoral Intermunicipal Consortium (CIMVALPI).
    The development banks of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo States (BDMG and Bandes, respectively) are responsible for monitoring the funds’ implementations.
  • R$ 30 million is the estimated total disbursement for the year

THE INITIATIVE IS ONE OF THE RENOVA FOUNDATION’S MAIN COMPENSATIVE FRONTS, A COUNTERPART TO DAMAGES WHICH RESTORE, MITIGATION, REMEDY AND / OR REPAIR WILL NOT BE POSSIBLE. IT WILL ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO MUNICIPALITIES ACHIEVE THE ESTABLISHED GOALS OF THE NEW LEGAL FRAMEWORK OF BASIC SANITATION, WHICH FORESEES THE UNIVERSALIZATION OF WATER AND SEWAGE SERVICES (COLLECTION OF SEWAGE FOR 90% OF THE POPULATION AND SUPPLY OF DRINKINK WATER TO 99%). DECEMBER 31, 2033.

  • More than 1,300 technical support visits were made to the municipalities and 727 hours of training with public servants were carried out.

CONTAINING REMAINING TAILINGS

In the area where the Fundão dam is located, a 40-meter-high dam, called Axis 1, was built to contain part of the rest of the tailings which remains in the reservoir. The construction applied a methodology that aims to provide more resistance to the structure. The completion of the work closes the priority actions carried out since the Fundão collapse, in November 2015, aimed at ensuring the stability of the tailing’s containment structures.