On-site technical visit on June 7th by representatives of Samarco, the municipalities of Mariana and Ouro Preto and institutions 

After 10 months of completion of the paving and drainage works developed on the road that connects the districts of Constantino, Goiabeiras and Cuiabá, representatives of Samarco, institutions and the municipalities of Mariana and Ouro Preto carried out a technical visit to the site last Tuesday (Jun-07). The interventions came to 11 kilometers, maintaining the original layout and the characteristics of the surroundings. The works brought improvements not only to the local population of more than 500 families, but also the whole region, offering reduced travel time and greater safety for the population that travels in the area.  

Paving was carried out from the reuse of ore tailings. “The initiative provides for the reuse of tailings in large quantities, increasing resistance, reducing dust, eliminating the generation of mud and mud holes on the roads in the rainy season”, pointed out the executive director from Ecomud, Vitor Hugo Ferreira dos Santos, emphasizing the differential advantage of the material used in the works, preserving the natural aspect of the soil at a low cost.     

The startup Ecomud, sponsored by Samarco in the MinerALL Challenge, developed the project and was responsible for carrying out the work. The company uses Samarco’ s tailings as raw material for paving.    

“Before, it was impossible to get to work. There were lots of holes, rocks and dirt. Now that you've fixed it, there's nothing better, because of the ore that was used. The traffic on the road is just great. It has improved a lot”, celebrated Mr. Juquinha, a resident of Constantino.

Samarco’s initiative is the result of a partnership between the Multisectoral Intermunicipal Consortium of Vale do Piranga (Cimvalpi) and the Municipality of Mariana.  In addition to the workgroup called “Application of Tailings” involved in Samarco's Economic Diversity Support Plan (PADE), representatives of the economic development secretariats of Ouro Preto, of Agriculture and Construction Works of Mariana, the Federal Institute of Minas Gerais, Plan Soluções, the Agency for Economic and Social Development of Ouro Preto, and the Agency for Economic and Social Development of Inconfidentes and Alto Paraopeba (Adesiap) participated in the visit. 

The Secretary of Economic Development of Mariana, Pedro Nunes, recalled that the expectation for the use of the material is one of the proposals of the plan.    “The ore tailings have been exceeding our expectations in terms of quality and conservation of our side roads. We will start another base in the district that connects the sub-districts of Mainart and Vargem”, said Pedro Nunes.      

PADE 

The Support Plan for Economic Diversification Plan (PADE) is a requirement of the Corrective Operating License (LOC), obtained by Samarco in 2019. PADET was launched in September 2020, being applied in the municipalities of Mariana and Ouro Preto. The results of the work carried out in 15 months in partnership between the government, the productive sector and civil society, were delivered this year to the city halls. The main purpose is to create a governance system among local institutions based on opportunities to identify and map potentialities, through interaction with the main institutions in each municipality.