Over a year after the Mariana disaster, which killed 19 people and halted production at Brazilian pellet producer Samarco, the company is still struggling to clean up the affected areas.
According to Brazil’s environment authority, Ibama, Samarco, a 50/50 joint venture between Vale and BHP Billiton, removed a fraction of the mud it should have removed from areas such as the Risoleta Neves hydroelectric power plant.
The hydroelectric power plant’s lake is formed by the Doce River, which was severly damaged by the dam burst in November 2015.
Samarco made a deal to clean up until December all mud next to the Risoleta Neves hydroelectric power plant, but according to an Ibama audit, Samarco only partially removed the mud. A media report noted more than half of the mud it spilled is still found in local rivers.
Samarco expects to resume production as soon as possible. Recently, a Brazilian minister said Samarco could resume production in two months if it meets all needed criteria to obtain an operating license.