Multinational Norsk Hydro Sued by Eleven Thousand Families in Lower Amazon for Compensation Over River Pollution

Written by Flavia Marinho

Published on 13/02/2021 at 12:27

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Norwegian Miner Hydro Is Being Sued by 11 Thousand Families in Lower Amazon for Water Contamination, Environmental Degradation, and Health Effects on Residents in the Area.

A class action has been initiated involving 11 thousand families in Pará against the Norwegian aluminum company Norsk Hydro ASA regarding an activity that, according to lawyers, is illegal and has led to water contamination in the region, environmental degradation, and health effects on residents in the area, says Estadão/Broadcast. Giant Potassium Reserves Were Discovered in Amazonas and Pará

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The lawsuit filed in Europe seeks compensation for the damages caused to the communities of Barcarena and Abaetetuba, in the lower Amazon, due to the improper disposal of toxic waste in the Murucupi River, as well as other effects of the presence of aluminum operations controlled by the company. The government of Norway controls 34% of its capital – its largest shareholder.

In most cases, the victims are members of Cainquiama – Amazonian Association of Mestizos, Indigenous People, and Quilombolas. Some individuals’ way of life and subsistence is entirely dependent on the forest and the waterways of the Amazon River and its tributaries.

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They are fighting in court for compensation for environmental damages, including water contamination and forest destruction, as well as for the negative impacts on the health of local communities.

According to Norsk Hydro’s press office, the company “has just received notification of a Dutch lawsuit from Cainquiama and will respond as requested before the Dutch court.”

Norsk Hydro stated that matters related to Cainquiama are already being discussed in Brazilian courts. Since 2017, according to the press office, the association has filed five lawsuits in Brazil against different entities of the Norwegian company in Brazil. “Regarding the rainfall event of 2018, there was no overflow and no evidence of contamination,” it emphasized.

One of the concerns is with the leakage of bauxite and other aluminum by-products, which could cause severe damage to human health, such as gastrointestinal diseases, hair loss, increased incidence of cancer, Alzheimer’s, and skin burns.

For the defense lawyers, the history of Norsk Hydro’s operations in the region follows a narrative similar to the tragedies of Brumadinho and Mariana in Minas Gerais, both because the miner neglects basic safety requirements in aluminum extraction in Barcarena and because it denies those affected compensation for the damages caused. In the cases of Mariana and now Hydro, the law firm PGMBM leads the case abroad – the Mariana case was opened in the United Kingdom.

by – Estadão/Broadcast

Multinational Norsk Hydro Sued by Eleven Thousand Families in Lower Amazon for Compensation Over River Pollution

Norwegian Miner Hydro Is Being Sued by 11 Thousand Families in Lower Amazon for Water Contamination, Environmental Degradation, and Health Effects on Residents in the Area.

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Multinational Norsk Hydro Sued by Eleven Thousand Families in Lower Amazon for Compensation Over River Pollution

Norwegian Miner Hydro Is Being Sued by 11 Thousand Families in Lower Amazon for Water Contamination, Environmental Degradation, and Health Effects on Residents in the Area.

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