Voting is part of the resettlement process of the areas impacted by the rupture of the Fundão dam
On September 03, representatives of 103 families living in Paracatu de Baixo elected the area for the reconstruction of the district affected by the rupture of the Fundão dam. With 65% of the votes, Lucila was the chosen site. The criteria for the voting were defined together with the community and representatives of the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
As in the case of the communities of Bento Rodrigues and Gesteira, the residents had visited the indicated sites, watched the 3D video with the technical studies and received brochures with information about the soil quality, water, geology, vegetation, cavities and other aspects. The exposition of scale models of each piece of land and the guided tours to prequalified land, enabled a comparative view of the different sites.
Lucila consists of84.8 hectares and is located close to the old district, serving one of the seven criteria previously established by the community. The other six are: water supply, availability of electricity, easy access, maintenance of the Paracatu neighborhood, adequate topographical elevation and access to public transport.
Residents of Paracatu de Baixo choose land for reconstruction of the affected district. | Photo: Fernando Helbert
The next step will be to conduct a survey about the expectations of the families in order to define the urban project of the new community. In this case will be defined for example, the location of the school, health center, and soccer field, the size of the streets, as well as details regarding the structure and finishing of the houses. The survey is the starting point for the elaboration of the new urban community project. “The choice of the piece of land in Paracatu completes an important step in the reconstruction process of the districts affected by the dam collapse. Just like previously in Bento Rodrigues and Gesteira, it will be the future residents who decide, as democratic as possible, where their new homes will be build”, says Alvaro Pereira, leader of the reconstruction programs of the communities.
The reconstruction programs related to the districts directly affected by the collapse of the Fundão dam are now being managed by the Renova Foundation, an autonomous and independent organization, which account for all socioeconomic and environmental programs as outlined in the Transaction and Conduct Adjustment Term (TTAC) signed between Samarco , Vale and BHP Billiton and the federal governments of Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo.