“It’s afraid,” said climate justice activist Jaiane Bruna about Brazilian petrochemical company Braskem. She is from União dos Palmares, Alagoas state, and is attending COP28, held in Dubai. Jaiane made the statement after the company announced the cancellation of its participation in the UN Climate Conference amid the worsening of the crisis in Maceió, Alagoas capital city, due to the sinking caused by the mining activities Braskem developed there.
A member of the Lentes Pretas Collective, Jaiane Bruna travelled to the United Arab Emirates with other 13 people who are part of a network of young activists called Engajamundo. She mentioned the protest held during the participation of another Brazilian mining company, Vale, and said Braskem ran away from this kind of situation.
“Braskem doesn't want to talk to civil society or residents. The company hides, fearing we could intervene. If society in Maceió hadn’t organized, protested, and activists at COP28 hadn’t been protesting all the time, it would continue in Brazil’s pavilion making beautiful speeches about environmental preservation,” she highlighted.
Braskem informed it “decided to cancel participation in some panels to prevent the subject [the sinking of the ground in Maceió] overriding technical discussions, hindering any contributions the company could offer".
To Jaiane Bruna, Braskem’s dropping from the event reflects the approach the company adopted since people discovered its decades-long mining activities to extract rock salt in Maceió caused the ground to sink. “Braskem doesn’t care about the over 200,000 people affected, 60,000 people who had to move out of their houses,” Jaiane added.
Imminent collapse
The situation in Maceió began in 2018 when people felt the effects of rock salt mining, a mineral used as table salt and in the production of PVC plastic and caustic soda, for example. The ground of five neighborhoods sank due to the mining activity of rock salt, which forms underground (about 1,000 meters below the surface).
Although no deaths were directly caused by the ground sinking, about 60,000 people had to move out due to the risk of their houses collapsing. Many of them were demolished. Studies show that it is the worst socioenvironmental tragedy in an urban area.
Rock salt mining by Braskem in Maceió lasted for about 40 years. The sinking happened because the region has a tectonic fault. The consequence was the sinking of the ground in the neighborhoods of Bebedouro, Bom Parto, Farol, Mutange and Pinheiro, in addition to the town of Flexal.
In a statement to Agência Brasil, Braskem said it is monitoring the situation and, since November 28, has sealed off the area where the company developed activities to fill wells. “Current monitoring data shows ground sinking keeps concentrated in the area where mine number 18 is located.”
The company also said it is supporting emergency relocation of residents who insist on remaining in their houses and continues collaborating with authorities.
