01/09/2016
After the rupture of the Fundão dam, Samarco immediately embarked upon its efforts to remediate and mitigate the extent of the impacts. In the initial emergency phase, its actions were focused on humanitarian assistance and the remediation of environmental impacts. Subsequently, with regard to the environment, the Company developed five major work fronts, which jointly form the Integrated Environmental Recovery Plan – Plano de Recuperação Ambiental Integrado (PRAI).
The first activity focused on assuring the safety of the remaining structures of the Germano, Santarém and Fundão dams, and was initiated immediately after the accident. From the beginning, the Company also worked on two other fronts – the expansion of the tailings storage capacity (such as work on Axis 1, Nova Santarém, Dike S3, Dike S4, and others), and the containment and control of erosion in the impacted areas along the rivers (such as reclamation of the banks of the tributaries and revegetation).
In order for these first three PRAI activities to be extended, involving long term and definitive actions, a fourth front came into play – establishing the scientific basis for risk assessment and for the recovery process. And it is only based on the results of these technical studies that it will be possible to develop the fifth front of the PRAI – reclamation of the rivers, an action of greater complexity that will require more time for execution.
The PRAI brings together all of the actions outlined in the environmental programs of the Framework Agreement (TTAC – acronym in Portuguese) signed by Samarco, its shareholders and government entities. Through the implementation of this broad Plan, Samarco is fulfilling its commitment to rehabilitate the rivers impacted by the rupture of the Fundão dam, with unlimited investment of resources, equipment and personnel in the development of the necessary solutions. It is important to point out that each intervention will require a certain time for implementation, according to its level of complexity, and this must be taken into account.
The Integrated Environmental Recovery Plan – PRAI – has been officially registered by Samarco with the competent environmental authorities and is available here (in Portuguese only).
