03/09/2016
Representatives of 103 families of Paracatu de Baixo (district of Mariana) elected, this past Saturday, September 03, the new site for the reconstruction of the district impacted by the rupture of the Fundão dam. With 65% of the valid votes, the chosen site was the one known as Lucila.
The area covers 84.8 hectares and is located in the district of Monsenhor Horta, in Mariana. It offers suitable topography, water availability, easy access to public transportation, and good quality soil for planting and raising livestock.
The criteria for the voting were defined together with the residents of the district and representatives of the Public Prosecution Service. This decision represents one more phase of the reconstruction actions developed by Samarco after the dam break.
The results of the election were audited by Ernst & Young. The State Public Prosecution Service accompanied the entire voting process, which was conducted by the community itself.
As in the case of Bento Rodrigues and Gesteira, the residents of Paracatu de Baixo had visited all the available sites and received brochures with information about the quality of the soil, water, geology, vegetation and other features. Samarco prioritized dialogue and transparency from the very beginning of the process.
Next steps
Now, with the site defined, Samarco will start the dialogues about the architectural and urban development aspects (location of the school, the health service unit, the soccer field, configuration of the streets, etc.) as well as the construction details for the new homes.
In addition, individual discussions will be held with each family to define the details of their homes, such as location, layout plan, materials, finishes, etc. Once all the individual selections are determined, the engineering design is expected to be ready by the end of the year. Samarco will deliver the new town, in compliance with the terms of the Framework Agreement (TTAC) signed with the Federal Government and the Governments of Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais, by 2019.
“The choice of the Paracatu de Baixo site completes a very important phase of the reconstruction process of the districts directly impacted by the rupture of the dam. As was the case with Bento Rodrigues and Gesteira, the future residents are the ones who will decide where their new homes will be, in the most democratic way possible”, says Alvaro Pereira, leader of the community reconstruction program.
The next step will be to perform a survey to determine the expectations of the families in order to define the urban project of the new community.
Reconstruction of Bento Rodrigues and Gesteira
The sites for the reconstruction of Bento Rodrigues and Gesteira were selected, respectively, on 07 May and 25 June. The survey of the interests of these communities has already been concluded (report of expectations of the families as to the reconstruction of the district, to provide input for the development of the urban plan and the architectural design).
The reconstruction programs related to the districts directly impacted by the rupture of the Fundão dam are now being managed by Fundação Renova, an independent organization which will handle all the socioeconomic and socioenvironmental programs outlined in the TTAC signed between Samarco and its shareholders, and the Federal Government and State Governments of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo.
