Samarco and the city of Ouro Preto signed, this Thursday (May-07), a work order to begin work to contain and optimize the banks of the Água Suja stream, in the district of Antônio Pereira. The initiative will provide the protection of river banks against erosion, reducing the occurrence of floods and entailing benefits to the community and the environment.

The company will fully pay for the interventions with funds of around BRL 18 million, reinforcing its commitment to sharing value with society. The initiative is part of Samarco's voluntary social investment actions in its territories of operation.

The event, held at the Antônio Pereira Cultural Center, was attended by residents and leaders of the district, representatives of public authorities and Samarco.

"The gabion project on the Água Suja stream is a dream of the entire Antônio Pereira community to prevent constant flooding. With this work in partnership with Samarco, we will bring more safety and peace of mind for the population to go through rainy periods without the fear of having their homes flooded, without major disturbances to the central region of the district", stated Mayor Ângelo Oswaldo. He also reinforced: "Samarco confirms its position as a citizen company, registered in the territory, partner of communities, public authorities and society as a whole. We trust in the company's efforts and commitment to face the region's challenges."

For the president of the Antônio Pereira Residents' Association, Uemerson Rodrigues, this is one of the most important works for the district in recent years "as it will benefit all the residents who live along the stream and who suffer from the floods and their impacts such as diseases and residence flooding. We are living in a historic moment. I am grateful to Samarco for this work."

Samarco's Institutional Relations manager, Roberto Guimarães, mentioned that “this is an old request from Antônio Pereira. Therefore, it is gratifying to contribute to improving the community’s quality of life. The project, which will be led by the city hall, is a milestone for all of us. More than producing iron ore pellets, we are committed to the social, environmental and economic development of our neighboring communities."

The general manager of Operations at the Germano Complex, João Calmon, highlighted that the company is resuming its activities without using a tailings dam, which is a safer approach and more participatory in the daily lives of the communities. “We seek to do mining differently, with a lot of transparency and open doors to increasingly advance in socio-environmental dialogues, and to be able to evolve together with the communities where we operate.”

Interventions

The works consist of the construction of walls (gabion) along the Água Suja Stream, in the stretch between the two soccer fields in the district, over an approximate length of 850 meters, protecting the banks of the stream against erosion. The plans include excavation, backfilling, road restoration, as well as the widening of the watercourse in some sections, intended to help reduce the occurrence of flooding. The engineering design was developed by Ouro Preto City Hall, in partnership with Vale. The works are expected to be completed by December 2025, as outlined by the officer of the Multisector Intermunicipal Consortium of Vale do Piranga (Cimvalpi), Júlio Corrêa Guimarães, hired to carry out the service.

Photos/ Credit: Otávio Honorato.