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ArcelorMittal Will Have to Pay an Amount of R$ 360 Thousand for False Triggering of the Alert Sirens at the Serra Azul Dam in Minas Gerais
ArcelorMittal, a company that operates in the steel manufacturing sector, will pay a fine of R$ 360 thousand for accidentally triggering the alert sirens at the Serra Azul Dam, located in the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte, in the state of Minas Gerais. The triggering occurred on March 8 of this year, and the dam was at level 2 of emergency status in 2019.
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False Alarm at the Dam in Minas Gerais
The false alarm of the sirens at ArcelorMittal’s dam caused various disruptions to nearby residents, who were already vulnerable due to the dam’s situation.
The structure of the Serra Azul Dam, which is located about 4 km from the Fernão Dias highway and just over 10 km from the reservoir of the Rio Manso, is responsible for supplying water to a large part of the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte, in Minas Gerais. An agreement made between ArcelorMittal and the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) in October 2020 stipulated that the structure be decommissioned.
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Downstream Containment Structure at the Serra Azul Dam, ArcelorMittal
Due to the emergency situation of the dam in Minas Gerais, ArcelorMittal initiated operations at the site shortly after the implementation of a downstream containment structure (ECJ); the purpose of this implementation was to serve as a containment barrier—absorbing all immediate impacts, such as the dam’s failure.
However, on March 29, ArcelorMittal informed in a report that the company would not be able to meet the deadline set for presenting the executive project of the structure.
Fine Imposed for False Triggering of the Dam Alarms in Minas Gerais
On this past Monday (04/26), ArcelorMittal signed an Additional Term of Commitment with the Federal (MPF) and Minas Gerais (MPMG) Public Ministries; this term stipulates that obligations must be fulfilled in the event of another false alert triggering at the dam.
The fine amounting to R$ 360 thousand will be directed to families for the triggering of the Emergency Action Plan for Mining Dams (PAEBM) in Itatiaiuçu, in the state of Minas Gerais. Local residents can request the payment on the website of ArcelorMittal and after prior scheduling, they can withdraw the money in cash at the service station in the district of Pinheiros, according to the MPF.
The Minas Gerais Public Ministry and the Federal Public Ministry emphasize that even in the case of an accidental error, the triggering of the sirens, without any prior communication with local residents, which has sound reach in all surrounding communities of the dam, resulted in a serious situation, causing confusion and alarm among the local population.
The world’s largest steel producer also emphasized that if anything happens to the dam in Minas Gerais, any procedure in the alarm system that could accidentally trigger an alarm, ArcelorMittal will notify the residents.
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