Eng Assignment Disaster

8/16/2019 Eng Assignment Disaster

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ENGINEERING DISASTER – Disruption of Mariana’s barrage

Engineering Disaster - Disruption of Mariana’s barrage

Felipe Vieira Camargo

ID - 200369165

University of Regina


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Abstract

In this paper will be described as Samarco dam in the municipality of Minas Mariana, Minas,

Brazil, broke and what were the damages of these disaster of engineering for the Brazilian nation.

You can also see what are the impacts of this disaster on the lives of people who lived in the town

of Mariana and the region. In addition, this paper describes the environmental impacts, the punitive

measures for those responsible for dam construction, the measures being taken to mitigate the

disaster and also discussed the assumptions that led to this dam to break and the the what could be

done so that this tragedy did not occur.

Keys words: Mariana, barrage, disaster.


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CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 1

1.2 CONCEPTUAL CLAFICATION……………………………………………………..1

1.3 METHODOLOGICAL STATEMENT ....................................................................... 1 2. ANALYSIS .............................................................................................................................. 2

2.1 BACKGROUND INFORMATION .............................................................................. 2 2.2 POINT BY POINT ANALYSIS .................................................................................... 2

2.2.1 THE ACIDENT .......................................................................................................... 2 2.2.2 ENVIROMENTAL IMPACT ................................................................................... 3 2.2.3 AFFECTED POPULATION ..................................................................................... 5 2.2.4 WHO IS ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF THE DISASTER?.................... ...........7

2.2.5 WHAT KIND OF FINES CAB NE APPLIED TO THE COMPANY? .................8

2.3 STRUCTURE OF ARGUMENT POINT……………………………………………….9

3. CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................................... 11 4. REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................... 12


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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1 - Aerial images comparing the before and after the accident ........................................... 3

Figure 2 - Dead fish due to mud ..................................................................................................... 5

Figure 3 - Houses destroyed by the dam breaking account ............................................................ 7


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ENGINEERING DISASTER – Disruption of Mariana’s barrage 1

1.Introduction

On November 5 in a small town in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil, Mariana, one Samarco

Company barrage broke and decimated several cities, killing people, animals, and pollute many

rivers and much of Brazilian oceanic coast. In addition to affecting the fauna, flora and local

population, the region's economy has been badly damaged as well, as is the river where many

families take the daily food. In addition, many people lost their jobs after the accident because

Samarco had to terminate its activities in the region due to the disaster occurred.

1.1 - Problem statements

In this article will be investigated the reasons that led to the barrage to break and what could be

done in order to avoid this kind of tragedy.

1.2 - Conceptual clarification

Mariana-MG is considered a big engineering disaster because the dams were breached due to

several factors. Besides being considered a natural disaster, the disruption of dams Samarco is a

major disaster of engineering. engineering disaster is meant by a failure calculation, storage,

communication, disposal or negligence which results in destruction and often leading to innocent

deaths.

1.3 - Methodological statement

Initially a broad literature search in order to better assimilate the concepts about the subject and

then, based on state of the art proposed theme characterized the problem. Concurrently held the


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survey data that, through research on the internet, newspapers and magazines, collected data is

necessary to conduct a further investigation of what happened in the disaster Mariana in Minas

Gerais, Brazil.

2. Analysis

2.1 - Background information

According to Santos, on November 5, 2015, the Fundão ( the name of the barrage ) dam

Samarco mining company controlled by Vale and BHP Billiton, broke up, causing a great flood

of mud. The sludge devastated Bento Rodrigues district in the municipality of Mariana, in Minas

Gerais, destroying homes and causing the death of people, including residents and own mining

officials. In addition to the human and material losses, the mud that escaped due to dam break

caused a serious environmental impact.

2.2 – Analysis point by point

2.2.1 - The accident

According to Gonçalves, Fusco and Vespa, was after 16 hours when a deafening noise

interrupted on 5 November, the quiet routine of Bento Rodrigues district, in the mining town of

Mariana. There followed then a cloud of dust and fluttering birds. The villagers realized that

there was something wrong. Within minutes, shouts and horns took to the streets: the wave of

mud approached. There was only time to run. Documents, money, clothes, stories - all left

behind. Bento Rodrigues was wiped off the map. Not all had time to escape. Ten people were

killed and at least eighteen are missing. The disaster was caused by the breakup of two tailings

dams - waste resulting from the exploitation of iron ore - Samarco mining company located five

kilometers from the district. Without the phones worked, the solidarity of residents of the district


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prevented the tragedy ceifasse even more lives. Weeks later Samarco confirmed that only a dam

had broken and not two as initially reported, but the death toll rose to 15 deaths and more than 40

missing, according to Gonçalves, Fusco and Vespa.

Figure 1: Aerial images comparing the before and after the accident. Source: Globalgeo / DigitalGlobe

2.2.2 - Environmental Impact

Disruption of the Fundão dam released the equivalent of 25,000 Olympic swimming pools of

waste. The mixture, which was composed according Samarco, an iron oxide, water and mud, is

not toxic, but can cause extensive damage.

The release of the mud will cause the paving of a large area. This will happen because the dried

mud form a kind of cement, where nothing grows. It is worth noting, however, that, given the

large amount of waste, the complete drying of the material may take decades. Meanwhile,


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nothing can also be built on the site. In addition, the material contains no organic matter, being

thus infertile.

The mud flood reached the Rio Gualaxo - Carmo River tributary, which flows into the Rio Doce,

which, in turn, goes towards the Atlantic Ocean, in the Holy Spirit. The more perceptive impact

on the aquatic environment was the death of thousands of fish that perished as a result of lack of

oxygen in the water and clogging their gills. In addition to the death of fish, micro-organisms and

other living things they were also affected, which completely destroyed the food chain in some

affected environments. Many biologists estimate that Rio Doce need, on average, 10 years to

recover from the terrible impact.

It is not only the death of living organisms that affect the rivers of the region, the amount of

released sludge can cause siltation, diversion of watercourses and even bury springs. Some rivers

may also become shallower due to the deposition of mud.

In addition to causing death within the rivers, the mud has killed all the vegetation close to the

region. A large amount of riparian vegetation was completely destroyed. Mining waste can also

affect the soil, causing the chemical breakdown and affecting the pH of the soil. This change in

soil hinders the development of species living there, completely modifying the local vegetation.

Like mud affected the Sweet river and goes towards the Holy Spirit, it is expected that, upon

reaching the coast, have an impact on at least three marine conservation areas. Many experts fear

the arrival of waste on the reefs of the Abrolhos reef, the region with the highest marine

biodiversity in Brazil.


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Figure 2: Dead fish due to mud. Source: G1.com

2.2.3 - Affected Population

Besides the large number of people who lost their homes and other possessions in Mariana, the

survivors face difficulties, mainly related to lack of water. This happens because most of the

affected cities depended on the affected rivers to supply, which now feature water unfit for

consumption.

Not only is the population of Mariana suffering from the disaster consequences, because the

whole population near the river Doce are suffering from the damage to the river. Indians Indian

tribe Krenak, which have reserve cut by the river, are without water for drinking, bathing and

cleaning its objects, for example. One can not also forget all the people who withdrew from the

river sustenance for their families.


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The commitments signed by Samarco with the Public Prosecutor of Minas Gerais and Espirito

Santo predict a series of measures to try to reduce the problems of the affected populations. The

company says it has more than 400 professionals serving the communities and arranged for the

stay of 631 people homeless in hotels in Mariana. Some families begin to be transferred to rented

and furnished houses. Samarco also states that provides water, basic food, personal hygiene

items, material and cleaning equipment, school kits and animal feed to the affected people.

In cities like Governador Valadares and Colac (MG), which had temporarily suspended water

supply because of the mud passage, Samarco was required to provide drinking water, but the

distribution has generated complaints.

In Governador Valadares, the team from BBC Brazil found that residents waited for more than a

thousand people queuing to fill bottles, including the elderly. The mayor of the city, Elisa Costa,

said that Samarco has not sent enough drinking water, making it difficult to open more stations.

In response, the company confined itself to saying that sent more than 8.4 million liters of

drinking water to help supply the city and 500,000 liters of mineral water for the population.

A week after the disaster, on 13 November, President Dilma Rousseff changed the decree that

regulates the movement of the Service Time Guarantee Fund (FGTS), which is the right of

workers and can only be used in specific cases between they, natural disasters. The amendment

includes the natural disaster classification the "result of the disruption or collapse of dams that

causes mass movement, with damage to residential units." Thus, the affected workers may, if

they wish, withdraw up to R $ 6,220 fund for emergency use.

However, the measure has caused controversy and outrage in the Brazilian social networks,

which came to be considered a breach to Samarco can escape more severe punishment.


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Figure 3: Houses destroyed by the dam breaking account. Source: G1.com

2.2.4 - Who is assessing the impact of the disaster?

Environmental disaster of great proportions, it is common that there are several technical reports

being prepared simultaneously by different teams, according to Magrini. The challenge is to

coordinate these efforts and gather the data in order to estimate the size of the losses and the type

of compensation - cash and recovery actions - it will take charge of the company.

"The responsibility for making and unpaid is the company, but the federal and state governments

need an action plan to monitor their actions and to set up a study to assess the damage," he says.

Kleber Earth, Samarco, said the company has 162 points of water monitoring along the Rio Doce

and teams collecting samples, with "a number of mobilized companies."


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Ibama teams are also conducting their own measurements and analyzes throughout the length of

the river, according to the coordinator Fernanda Pirillo. Currently, there are at least five teams,

with about 20 technicians, divided as follows:

At least four people in Mariana, in crisis cabinet;

Two double walking the banks of the Rio Doce MG and ES, checking for wild or

domestic animals to be redeemed;

A team of five people in the Holy Spirit, guiding the rescue of native and rare species of

fish, which will be transferred to tanks and used in restocking;

Three technicians accompanying the mud retention efforts that Samarco is doing in the

Holy Spirit;

Five people doing aerial mapping of the affected region.

2.2.5 - What kind of fines can be applied to the company?

So far, Samarco was fined R $ 250 million by Ibama - five fines of R $ 50 million - but this is

just the first that the agency can apply.

Ibama can apply at least ten other penalties provided by law, ranging from daily fines up to

demand the closure of the company. According to the general coordinator of environmental

emergencies Ibama, Fernanda Pirillo, the agency already provides for the collection of a new fine

in the coming weeks for permanent preservation area of destruction on the banks of the Rio Doce

in Minas Gerais, whose value has not been determined . "It will depend on the size of the area

being calculated," he told BBC Brazil.

However, it is a challenge to ensure that the fines are paid, which does not always happen. "We

have good legislation and well advanced in relation to accountability, but we have an


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implementation problem," says Guetta. "About 97% of fines imposed by IBAMA are not paid by

offenders. It is a given shocking."

Samarco has 20 days to appeal against the payment of each of the five primary fines. After that,

if not met, may still submit a second appeal before having to finally make the payment. Asked by

BBC Brazil, the company has not said whether to pay or when he will. In a term proposed by the

prosecutor of Minas Gerais and signed by Samarco on 16 November, the company is committed

to create a fund of US $ 1 billion should be allocated to emergency action in the state. The term

does not specify what those actions, but says the company will have to prove that the money is

being spent on "prevention, containment, mitigation, reparation and compensation of

environmental or environmental damage." The fine provided for non-compliance of these

measures on their terms is $ 200 000 per day.

2.3 - Structure of an argument point

As the tragedy is still very recent, since the dam break was in November 2015, it took four

months and the investigations have not been completed, but there are several hypotheses

according to environmentalists and experts. Earthquake: the 14h12 the Seismology Center of

USP recorded earthquake in the city of Catas Altas, 33 km from Mariana. 14h 13 one second

concussion is recorded, this time in Ouro Preto, a city Mariana. 15:00 the dam begins to leak and

15h56 a third quake is recorded in Ouro Preto and fourth concussion occurs in Barão de Cocais

(Mariana 50km). All had magnitude below 3, being too weak to be felt on the ground.

But here we have to take into consideration what the seismographs detected was actually the dam

burst and its billions of liters of water moving.


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- Raising of the Dam: The dam is designed to be one way, but successive enlargements

eventually cause its collapse. At the time of the disaster, the dam was under construction to raise

it again. These extensions could have excessive high level of sedimentation of waste. The higher,

more critical was the dam. Over the past 15 years it has accelerated extraction, dictating new

expansions to accommodate disposal of mineral extraction. Samarco passed the security point,

entered a very high risk category, with authorization and public oversight. The responsibility is

not only of who runs, but of who authorizes and supervises. For Professor Rosemary Gomes, the

Ufop (Federal University of Ouro Preto), tailings dams, such as Mariana, they are always in the

works, formed in a dike on the other. "She may suffer a kind of internal drainage that leads to

rupture."

- Liquefaction: The main hypothesis by technicians, however, it is that occurred the liquefaction

process, which is when this external sandy layer, rather than expelling retains water. A sudden

change in pressure inside the waste tank can then turn sand into mud, which can no longer

contain residues that are behind. That would explain the disruption of Fundão dam - which

devastated the Santarém and everything else that lay ahead ..

- Increased production: Samarco increased its production by more than 15% last year,

corresponding to about 25 million tons of ore. Consequently the tailings volumes released in

dams also increased. A breakup might have happened if they were not necessary Readjustments

made dams to receive an increase in the volume of waste. The probable causes are many, but we

are for now only speculation. Responsibility for the incident will have on the Samarco mining,

according to the professor at the State University of Londrina and consultant in Mining and

Environment, Cleuber Moraes Brito. Scrapped and no infrastructure, Brazilian environmental


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agencies do not satisfactorily fulfill their role and share responsibility for disasters such as the

Mariana.

3 - Conclusion

The destruction of Samarco dam in the municipality of Mariana, Minas Gerais, was considered

one of the greatest disasters ever occurred in Brazil and in addition, the episode Mariana-MG

was also considered the worst incidents involving the breaking of a dam in the world.

To be an accident still early days, the investigations are still in progress, the technical reports are

being made and evaluated, to later take up appropriate measures in order to really know what the

real reason the dam was breaking. In addition, the investigation will show who were responsible

for Samarco dam break.

So far, there are only hypotheses indicating what really happened, which may have been

liquefaction, earthquakes, dam heightening and increased production. However, it seems, it was

the set of all these factors plus the fact the little supervision by the responsible regulatory

agencies.

The breaking of the dam could have been avoided if Samarco (the company responsible for

building the dam) had been keen to filter the waste trapped at the dam. However, a filter can

endear up to six times the cost of dam construction and therefore the miners prefer to run the risk

of not placing the filter, to maximize profits, but without any concern for the environment and

the population. Also, if there was surveillance more frequently, this great tragedy of engineering

could be avoided.


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4 – Rerefences

1- Brito, Cleuber Moraes. Probable causes of the breakup of the tailings dam in

Mariana / MG. Available at Accessed on February 20, 2016.

2- Gomes, Romero. The Mariana Disaster: The Biggest Environmental Disaster MG

and one of the biggest in Brazil. Available in

http://www.assombrado.com.br/2015/11/o-desastre-de-mariana-o-maior-desastre.html.

Accessed on February 17, 2016.

3-

Gonçalves, Eduardo. Fusco, Nicole. Vespa, Talyta. Understand how most modern

techniques of management of mining waste could have prevented the Bento

Rodrigues district was wiped off the map. Available at

. Accessed on

February 17, 2016.

4- Guetta . How are investigations Mariana disaster? Available at <

http://www.bbc.com/portuguese/noticias/2015/11/151117_mariana_investigacoes.cc.

>Accessed on February 18, 2016.

5- Pirillo, Fernanda. How are investigations Mariana disaster? Available at


6-

Santos, Vanessa Sardine Dos. "Environmental impacts of the accident in Mariana

(MG)"; Brazil School. Available at . Accessed on February 22, 2016.


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. Accessed on

February 17, 2016.

7- Terra, Kleber . How are investigations Mariana disaster? Available at
