News

On 30 October, the town of Barra Longa, one of those most impacted by the collapse of the Fundão dam, got back its main socialization center, when Samarco delivered Praça Manoel Lino Mol, which had been closed off since 6 November 2015, when the Fundão tailings invaded the town. The recovery of the square is a milestone in the reconstruction of the town, which is expected to be concluded by 2017.

In order to renovate the square according to the desires of the community, Samarco held open meetings between February and March to receive input from children, adolescents, adults and the elderly. Some 200 people participated in this process.

Watch the reconstruction of the square in the video below:

“The delivery of Praça Manoel Lino Mol is not a special occasion, it is just one of the many commitments we have assumed to allow the return the city of Barra Longa to its original tranquility”, said Samarco CEO Roberto Carvalho. “We know that there is still much to be done, such as renovation of the fairgrounds, and homes and yards. From now on, Fundação Renova will be directing the actions to continue the recovery and renovation of Barra Longa.”

On 26 June, the proposal for the renovated square was presented to the residents. The design stayed true to the city´s identity, while at the same time adding improvements in infrastructure and landscaping, as well as a playground and outdoor workout area. New rainwater drainage networks were installed, as well as new paving for the sidewalks and recovery of the electrical system. Street lighting is provided by 61 LED lamps installed around the square and on Alameda Beira Rio.

Through the public consultation plan “A Praça que queremos” (the square we want), which involved children, adolescents, adults and elderly, local storekeepers and public authorities, the community was able to express its desire for the design to stay true to the city´s identity and have facilities to help promote interaction between people of different ages, in addition to having a space for doing physical exercise and an environment surrounded by nature. The result was a project which promotes human contact, observing accessibility needs.

The works also included the reconstruction of 100% of the drainage system. The street pavement is formed by 2270 square meters of gray interlocking blocks. As for the sidewalks in and around the square, these are made of red interlocking blocks using mining tailings in their composition. In front of the houses, 680 square meters of encaustic cement tile were placed, with tactile paving for the visually impaired.

DECK AND STREET

The new square received over 100 trees, ornamental plants, LED lighting and a 812 square meter deck made of ecoblock, imitating wood, close to the bank of the Carmo river. The deck has a railing and is protected against erosion by rock armouring placed along the bank. The area surrounding the deck has 316 square meters of sidewalk done in red interlocking blocks, while the garden has 300 square meters, where one thousand African lilies (agapanthus) were planted. Alameda Beira Rio was entirely paved with blocks using tailings in their composition, and received a walking path, a playground and an outdoor workout center.

NEW LIFE

Barra Longa has 90% of the reconstruction and recovery works by Samarco concluded, in a process that involved a lot of dialogue and participation of the local community. The infrastructure works included streets, roads, bridges, schools, water and power networks. A total of 4 thousand square meters of asphalt were recovered along the Edmundo Costa Lana highway and sections of state highway MG-326, and approximately 14 thousand square meters of pavement within the municipality.