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One Year After The Devastating Floods In Rio Grande do Sul, R$ 6.5 Billion Are Still Stalled, Without Schedule For Start Of Promised Works To Contain New Tragedies
One year after the flood that left 184 dead and 25 missing in Rio Grande do Sul, the projects to prevent new tragedies have still not materialized. The Infrastructure Support Fund for Extreme Climate Events (Firece), created by the federal government, has R$ 6.5 billion available. But the works still have no start date.
The funds are in an account held by the Caixa Econômica Federal. The money should be used for the construction and recovery of levees, pumping stations, drainage, and dredging of rivers.
The responsibility for execution was initially with the municipalities, but it was transferred to the state government at the request of Governor Eduardo Leite to President Lula.
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According to Agência Brasil, the management change and the need to update the projects delayed the process. Leite stated that the studies were already in progress before the tragedy.
However, the scale of the floods required a complete review of the proposals. They are now undergoing technical re-adaptation. There is no forecast for the end of this stage.
Among the works considered a priority are a new levee in Eldorado do Sul and interventions in the Arroio Feijó basin, which encompasses areas between Porto Alegre and Alvorada.
Mayors of the Metropolitan Region are demanding agility. In Porto Alegre, Mayor Sebastião Melo states that there are R$ 700 million in projects awaiting approval.
In Canoas, Mayor Airton Souza expresses concern over the slow pace. The city had more than half of its urban area flooded in 2023. According to him, there is a risk that the resources will remain stalled while new tragedies remain possible. So far, none of the works have been initiated, and there is no official schedule released.
With information from O Bairrista.
