Rio Doce: Risks and uncertainties of the Mariana Disaster (MG)

Abstract

In the Brazilian Southeast, in the basin of the Doce River, the municipality of Mariana (MG), the rupture of the Fundão mineral tailings dam on November 5, 2015, triggered the so-called Samarco/ Vale/BHP disaster. This was not a natural event but the outcome of adopting particular technologies and technical-administrative decisions. Criminal responsibilities for the disaster were identified by the Public Prosecutor's Office. There were both direct and indirect impacts on rivers and alluvial lowlands, environmental protection areas, forest reserves, flora and fauna. The incident affected rural and urban habitats, habits and cohabitants. Its harmful effects reached the Atlantic coastal region of Espírito Santo state. This article aims to identify the problems that emerged from the disaster, discuss the consequences of the feelings of uncertainty, and analyse the pertinence of the disaster as a research issue, while also paying attention to the media's role in its social construction as an event.