Mine collapse in Maceió makes Lira’s opponent press for Braskem’s CPI

The risk of collapse at a Braskem rock salt mine in Maceió (AL), which led Civil Defense to evacuate around five thousand people from a neighborhood in the city, could accelerate the progress of Braskem’s CPI in the Senate – and oppose the two main politicians from Alagoas who compete for power and influence in Congress.

The Alagoas Civil Defense declared an emergency due to the risk and stated that the subsidence of the ground in the Mutange neighborhood could occur this Friday (1st). If this occurs, other excavations in the region could be affected.

Senator Renan Calheiros (MDB-AL) said that the “biggest environmental crime in the world” is taking place in the capital of Alagoas. Maceió’s mayor is João Henrique Caldas (PL-AL), an ally of deputy Arthur Lira (PP-AL), from a rival political group of the senator.

“Fear, panic, late and chaotic evictions, evacuation of hospitals, restriction of movement and gloomy forecasts for the biggest environmental crime in the world, committed by Braskem, whose shares sank after we asked for federal help. Some opportunists just wanted to make money and, now, they have lost their credibility and exemption. Faced with the collapse, they woke up with the door kicked in. CPI now”, said Calheiros on social media.

Braskem’s CPI was created at the end of October to initially investigate the environmental damage that petrochemicals caused in Maceió, but which had not yet evolved into the possibility of the mine collapsing. Until then, only a few sinkings had been recorded, but nothing as serious as this new occurrence.

The company began filling the mines with solid material (sand) to stabilize the soil, but the beginning of the collapse of the roof of mine 18 occurred before the containment was completed, which led to it being interrupted.

While Calheiros criticized the delay in Caldas’ reaction, Lira adopted a more moderate tone and preached “unity” to “avoid greater damage”.

“Mayor JHC informed me of what happened and the urgent measures taken to avoid accidents and victims. It continues to monitor the situation in real time, in collaboration with the competent bodies. We all need to be united at this moment and seek all means to avoid further damage”, wrote the president of the Chamber of Deputies.

At the end of the morning, the mayor of Maceió asked the acting president, Geraldo Alckmin (PSB), for support so that he “supports the population who had to leave their homes. New housing is needed and Braskem is held responsible.”

The mine’s situation is monitored, among other authorities, by ministers Wellington Dias (Development and Social Assistance) and Renan Filho (Transport), who is the son of Renan Calheiros and preferred to adopt a more restrained tone on the possibility of collapse. He stated that “this is not the time to attribute responsibility to those who should not”, and called for Braskem to be held civilly and criminally responsible.

The general coordinator of the Civil Defense of Alagoas, Moisés Melo, stated that it is not yet possible to predict the intensity of the mine’s collapse, but that “it is certain that a large part of the city will feel it”.

“If there is a disruption in this region, we could have several services affected, such as the water supply in part of the city and also the energy and gas supply. Certainly, the entire capital will feel the tremors if this chain cave rupture happens,” he said.

“Craters are expected to form in central neighborhoods at any time,” said the government of Alagoas in a relevant fact sent to the Federal Audit Court (TCU), Attorney General’s Office (PGR), Presidency of the Republic, Securities Commission Mobiliários (CVM), Court of Justice of Alagoas (TJ-AL), Petrobras and the Arab fund ADNOC.

The Arab fund is negotiating with Braskem to purchase part of the company, which is contested by the government of Alagoas, which requests that the sale be completed only after full environmental compensation for the damage caused by the excavation of the mines.

Braskem reported that atypical movements were recorded in a location close to Mutange, leading to the preventive stoppage of well filling activities. The company says it tracks monitoring data in real time and cooperates with the competent authorities.

Braskem’s mines, created by the extraction of rock salt, had been closed since 2019 after ground subsidence and tremors. The case came to light in 2018 when an earthquake affected neighborhoods in Maceió.

Cracks, sinkholes and craters appeared, leading to the closure of areas. Braskem agreed to a compensation of R$1.7 billion to the city hall in July 2021.