The initiative will operate for a set period of time to answer questions from residents affected by Braskem's environmental damage
Installed in December 2023, but in activity for just over 1 month, the CPI (Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry) established to investigate the environmental damage caused in Maceió by Braskem launched a website to receive and record questions and reports from victims of the disaster.
O Braskem CPI hotsite —created with a specific objective and for a specific period of time— is linked to the e-Citizenship Portal page.
The channel is already receiving interactions such as:
- questions about the situation of residents who are still in the affected region, but not in the risk area;
- whether the company is effectively helping victims;
- how authorities and the company deal with the needs of those affected;
- what amount will be paid as compensation; It is
- how government oversight has been carried out, among others.
One of the main objectives of the CPI is to guarantee fair compensation to those affected by the environmental damage that began in 2018 in Maceió, caused by the exploration of rock salt mineral by the petrochemical company.
The mineral has been extracted since the 1970s around the Mundaú lagoon, in the capital of Alagoas. As of 2018, the Pinheiro, Mutange and Bom Parto neighborhoods, among others that are close to the operations, began to record structural damage to streets and buildings, with soil sinking and the formation of craters.
More than 14,000 properties were affected and condemned, and around 60,000 people were harmed, with the majority having to leave the region.
Works
With the presidency of the senator Omar Aziz (PSD-AM) and the senator's report Rogério Carvalho (PT-SE), Braskem's CPI — established based on a proposal presented by the senator Renan Calheiros (MDB-AL) — has already heard testimonies from several people directly related to the case, as well as experts in the field.
The board also promoted a series of breaches of confidentiality and approved confrontations and requests for information.
Civil engineer and retired professor at Ufal (Federal University of Alagoas), Abel Galindo Marques said that Braskem did not take due precautions regarding the particular risks of opening mines in layers of rock salt underground.
Ufal professor Natallya de Almeida Levino told the CPI that the tragedy was not restricted to residents who lost their homes, but caused serious economic and urban impacts, such as the increase in property prices after the increase in demand.
José Geraldo Marques, who was a resident of the Pinheiro neighborhood, criticized the compensation offered by the terms presented by the company to those affected.
Former employee of the SGB (Brazilian Geological Survey), Thales Sampaio told the panel that Braskem had a reduced team and did not carry out the necessary monitoring in the rock salt extraction mines to guarantee the safety of the soil in Maceió.
The general director of ANM (National Mining Agency), Mauro Henrique Moreira Sousa, stated that Braskem received 11 fines with a total value of approximately R$40,000 resulting from infractions. He is on the list of those who had a breach of banking secrecy approved by the CPI.
Like Sousa, the other director of ANM, Roger Romão Cabral, and the former director of inspection of the extinct DNPM (National Department of Mineral Research), Walter Lins Arcoverde, stated that ANM and DNPM had reduced inspection capacity due to the lack of human resources, the lack of technical specialization in some areas and budget restrictions.
The Secretary of Civil Defense of Maceió, Abelardo Pedro Nobre Júnior, stated that monitoring of the company's mines only began in 2019, the year in which the mining company was forced to interrupt rock salt extraction activities.
Director-president of IMA (Institute of the Environment) since 2015, Gustavo Ressurreição Lopes stated that the body has already carried out 20 fines against Braskem, including due to omission of information.
The former secretary of Geology, Mining and Mineral Transformation of the Ministry of Mines and Energy Alexandre Vidigal de Oliveira criticized, in testimony, the lack of budget for inspection and monitoring actions for rock salt extraction in Maceió.
Justice
O public defender of the Union Diego Bruno Martins Alves and the public defender of the State of Alagoas Ricardo Antunes Melro told the collegiate that the individual compensation agreements signed with the affected residents were “the possible”but which can be revised.
According to the MPF (Federal Public Ministry), studies by the Brazilian Geological Survey concluded that Braskem was responsible for the damage that occurred since 2018.
The MPF is involved in 4 legal proceedings related to the case and seeks to hold the company responsible for different types of damage, such as to the environment, urbanization and the economy.
Some agreements were signed with the petrochemical company as a result of these legal proceedings so that damages could be repaired more quickly.
With information from Senate Agency.
#Braskem #CPI #opens #website #victims #queries #Maceió