Lagoon where Braskem mine is located records fish deaths – 01/03/2024 – Daily Life

Days after fishermen recorded the death of fish in the Mundaú lagoon, in Maceió, technicians from the Environmental Institute of the State of Alagoas (IMA-AL), an environmental agency of the Government of Alagoas, took samples and will analyze the quality of the lagoon’s water.

The lagoon is the same as Braskem’s mine 18, which collapsed on December 10th. The mining company, however, states that there is no change in the water quality standard of the lagoon, which already had high levels of contamination.

The mine roof suffered a rupture after weeks of being monitored following earthquakes in Maceió. The affected area, in the Mutange neighborhood, had already been vacated and, therefore, there were no victims.

Until the end of December, studies by IMA and the Federal University of Alagoas had not established whether there had been any change in the waters of the lagoon after the mine rupture. The expectation of experts is that the rupture of the rock salt mine under the lagoon will make the water highly salinized, causing damage to the local fauna and flora.

Collections for new water analyzes were carried out by IMA this Sunday (31st) and Monday (1st) and the analyzes should be ready within seven working days.

A source linked to the Government of Alagoas stated that the lagoon has a history of fish deaths due to being impacted by the discharge of sewage, in addition to being close to industries and companies that are located around it.

At this time of year, during the summer, high water temperatures result in a reduction in the amount of oxygen, which increases fish deaths.

In a statement, the mining company Braskem said that “the results produced so far do not indicate a change in the typical quality standard”, according to an assessment by technicians from UFAL and IMA released on December 18.

Furthermore, the company added that this study establishes that the lagoon has high levels of contamination, “but the situation is old and is not related to the accommodation of the soil in the region of cavity 18”. Braskem also says that it does not release any effluent into the lagoon.

At the end of November, Maceió Civil Defense issued a warning about the risk of collapse of one of Braskem’s 35 cavities in the capital of Alagoas. The event took place on December 10th, but shows a stabilization trend.

According to a report from the Brazilian Geological Survey, Braskem’s mining actions, from the 1970s to 2019, were responsible for a subsidence that already affects around 20% of Maceió, specifically in five neighborhoods: Pinheiro, Farol, Mutange, Bebedouro and Bom Parto.

Since 2018, when the first cracks began in Maceió, around 60,000 people have been affected by the problem, with 14,000 homes within the evacuation area.