IBAMA (Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources) has identified “signs of environmental violations” in a mining area near the territory of the Waimiri Atroari people, in Amazonas state.
Between April and May, Indigenous people said they found dead animals, including Amazon river dolphins and turtles, in rivers that run through the Indigenous territory. They suspect that waste from Mineração Taboca’s operations, Brazil’s largest producer of refined tin, may have polluted the waters in this part of the Amazon.
“Visual evidence obtained through remote sensing confirms that the mining front and the associated environmental degradation are advancing towards the immediate boundary of the Waimiri Atroari Indigenous Land,” states a document sent on 19 May to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office in Amazonas (MPF-AM), which is investigating the case.
According to accounts from Indigenous people, large patches of mud with a “strong smell” and “muddy colour” reached, in early April, a stream that crosses the mining area and flows into the Alalaú — the main river in the territory of the kinja, as the Waimiri Atroari are known.
Weeks later, two Amazon river dolphins, two turtles and a stingray were found dead, according to photographic records made by the Indigenous people themselves. According to the kinja’s accounts, there were no signs of attacks by natural predators.
An official letter sent on 29 April by Funai (Brazil’s National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples) to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office also draws attention to the potential impact on the river dolphins.
“The death of an aquatic mammal of this size is a critical biological indicator that toxicity and/or physical changes in the water have reached levels that are intolerable for wildlife.” The document warns of an “environmental disaster of severe proportions”.
In a statement, Taboca’s press office said that, to date, the company had not been formally notified of any new investigative steps related to the proceeding being handled by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office. The mining company said that, “to the company’s knowledge, there is no causal or technical relationship between the reported events and its operations,” and reaffirmed its commitment to “full cooperation with the authorities to fully clarify the facts.” The full statement can be read at this link.
ASSINE NOSSA NEWSLETTER
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