Several mining waste dams in Minas Gerais state will likely miss a deadline set this month for these structures to be decommissioned.
According to a report by the Federation of Industries of Minas Gerais state, FIEMG, the deadline set by the state is “unrealistic,” as it would take over 50 years for companies to remove all existing waste from such dams, considering the use of 1,000 trucks per day, 24 hours a day.
Since 2019, Brazil had 48 upstream dams, like the Brumadinho one, which collapsed, killing 270 people. FIEMG expects 18 dams might be decommissioned by February 25, the deadline set by Minas Gerais state. According to existing regulation, companies can even lose their license for not complaining with the decommissioning deadline.