27/06/2016
On 25 June, the representatives of the communities of Mariana met with the Samarco Executive Board to talk about the progress of the reconstruction of the communities, in addition to the various remedial actions which are already being carried out by the Company. The dialogue had the participation of 20 residents from Bento Rodrigues, Paracatu, Camargos, Campinas, Pedras and Ponte do Gama. Some of the highlights included the process of resettlement, environmental rehabilitation, and the prospects of the Company’s restart.
The group of residents was welcomed at the Germano unit in Mariana by the Company CEO, Roberto Carvalho, by the director of projects and ecoefficiency, Maury de Souza Jr, and by the leader of the Samarco socioeconomic programs, José Luiz Furquim.
“In its 38 years of operation in Mariana, we have always maintained a dialogue with the communities neighboring our units. Our professionals were closely involved in routine activities and meetings in Bento Rodrigues and other districts. We profoundly lament the accident, and since the 5th of November we have concentrated all our efforts on seeking joint solutions with the representatives for the remediation of the impacts caused by the Fundão dam accident”, pondered Roberto Carvalho, Samarco CEO.
Since the day following the accident, Samarco has been holding periodic meetings with community members, addressing all phases of the resettlement process.
UNDERSTANDING THE DIALOGUE
The dialogue with the communities about the activities carried out for the recovery of the areas impacted by the Fundão dam is a pillar of the Agreement signed by the Company, its shareholders VALE and BHP Billiton with the Federal Government and the State Governments of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo.
The document, signed in March and homologated by the Courts on 5 May, provides for the creation of a private Foundation which will be responsible for the implementation of 41 programs (93% of which are already in progress), divided into two main work fronts, one socioeconomic and the other socioenvironmental. It also concentrates the emergency actions which have been adopted by Samarco since November, in addition to proposing new projects.
