Waste spill dubbed worst environment disaster
RIO DE JANEIRO. — A deadly mine waste spill that buried a village and contaminated a river basin two weeks ago is the worst environmental disaster in Brazilian history, the environment minister said yesterday.
Izabella Teixeira estimated it would take 30 years to clean up the Doce basin in southeast Brazil, where the spill killed at least 12 people, left 280 000 without water and smothered thousands of fish, turtles and other animals.
The disaster struck on November 5, when a dam collapsed at the waste reservoirs of an iron ore mine owned by Samarco, a joint venture between the mining giants BHP Billiton of Australia and Vale of Brazil.
“It’s clear what happened in the Doce River is the biggest environmental catastrophe in this country’s history. We can’t let it happen again anywhere,” Teixeira told newspaper O Globo.
“Our current environmental laws are insufficient to deal with an accident of this magnitude.” — AFP.
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