Erosion on a rural property in Santa Vitória, in the Triângulo Mineiro, worries residents of the Dom Alexandre neighborhood. The crater advances towards the houses and, according to Civil Defense, around five homes are in a risk area. The affected location is approximately 20 meters from the properties.
Residents are following the progress of erosion and fear that the problem will compromise the structure of their houses. The situation led the neighborhood to call Civil Defense to assess the risks.
The Civil Defense coordinator, Marcione Narcizo, said that the collapse process, which intensifies during rainy periods, continues even during drought, but that, at the moment, residents do not need to leave their homes.
"Together with the firefighters, we carried out an assessment and concluded that it is not necessary for residents to leave their homes, as previously advised. We continue to monitor the location."
Santa Vitória City Hall reported that it is preparing an engineering project to solve the problem, which, according to the Municipality, comes from old flaws in rainwater drainage;
For now, according to the Secretary of Works, André Aparecido da Silva, the municipality has made equipment available to begin containment with rachão stone, a material used to reduce the impact of water and help contain the progress of erosion.
Like Civil Defense, the Secretary reinforces that there is no risk, at this time, for residents.
Engineer explains the scenario
According to civil engineer Dion Berto Compasso, one of the causes of the problem is related to the increase in the volume of rainwater that reaches the area, which would have been intensified by urbanization in the Jardim Europa and São João neighborhoods.
According to the engineer, the soil in the region is susceptible to erosion and there is no adequate structure to reduce the force of the water before it reaches the land.
Owner of the area reports other problems
In addition to erosion, the owner of the affected area reports problems related to the water passing through the rainwater drainage network. João da Silva Leite, rural producer, states that the water that reaches the land also carries waste that, according to him, would be sewage and oil from workshops. He reports damage to vegetation and the death of animals on the property.
According to the producer, six dogs died and a cow was also found dead after consuming water at the site. He states that three veterinarians evaluated the cases and linked the deaths to contact with waste.
Suspicions of contamination and the causes of animal deaths were not confirmed by reports presented in the material. The City Hall did not present a specific position on environmental complaints.
Erosion is about 20 meters from five houses in the Dom Alexandre neighborhood — Photo: TV Integração/Reproduction
'I don't sleep peacefully', says resident
Retired Maria de Lurdes Vilela says that the worry has affected her family's rest. 'Every day we go there in the morning to see if there is any more damage, because we don't sleep peacefully', he reported.
Daiane Mendes de Oliveira was also worried after receiving images of the erosion. She went to a neighbor's house to check the situation and said that the collapse was already approaching the wall of her residence.
Retired Claudomiro de Oliveira Vidoka has lived in the neighborhood for 14 years and has one of the closest houses to the affected area. He hopes that the works announced by the municipality will be able to contain the progress of erosion.
City Hall says the problem is due to old rainwater drainage failures — Photo: TV Integração/Reproduction
