Two Years After the Ecological Disaster in Mariana, Settlements Still Hang in the Balance

10/24/2017 - 10h50

"There are meetings every week. It's been like this for the past two years. Our lives consist of work and meetings. It's too tiring. But we can't afford to lose this fight", said Cristiano Sales, 35.

Those who were harmed along a 650-kilometer stretch of land - contaminated by waste that eventually made its way into the Espírito Santo sea - are seeking to get settlements for damages and violations concerning their rights to income, housing and water.

In March of 2016, mining companies struck a deal with the federal government as well as the states of Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais, the latter of which presented guidelines for restitution lawsuits.

However, the deal was not ratified by the courts and has been criticized by the Public Prosecutor's Office due to the lack of public participation in the decisions made by the Renova Foundation.

To this day, all parties that have been officially recognized as having been affected by the disaster are still awaiting the arrival of their emergency assistance cards, (a monthly rate equivalent to the minimum wage), and their monthly baskets of basic food.

Unlike other cities spread across the Rio Doce basin, in Mariana, collective lawsuits have not been broken up. All told, the Public Prosecutor's Office has filed 18 class action lawsuits.

The meetings typically consist of registering parties that have been affected and discussing the rebuilding of the villages.

The Public Prosecutor's Office has stated that some of the names can't be made out and that workers pertaining to certain professions will not be contemplated. Registration is required in order to assess each party's losses and stipulate a final settlement amount.

To this day, the parties involved in the lawsuit have not yet managed to arrive at a consensus regarding the settlements.

Translated by THOMAS MATHEWSON

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