30 km green spot in PA river threatens indigenous lands; report indicates toxic bacteria 4 times above the limit

A green spot about 30 kilometers long is spreading across the waters of the Bacajá River, in Pará. According to indigenous people and riverside dwellers, environmental pollution is causing the death of fish and leaving local communities without access to drinking water.

The stain on the river directly affects the municipalities of Anapu and Senador José Porfírio, affecting the Trincheira Bacajá Indigenous Land (of the Xikrin people), the Arara da Volta Grande Indigenous Land (of the Arara people) and several riverside communities.

Laboratory analyzes completed on Thursday (5) by the Central Laboratory of the Pará Public Health Secretariat (Lacen) confirmed that the phenomenon is caused by a superproliferation of cyanobacteria.

"The risk is high, the situation is serious. It is necessary to suspend all contact with river water, because there is a great potential for the presence of cyanotoxins", warns specialist Dilailson Araújo de Souza, who evaluated the Lacen results.

The expert also reinforces that traditional purification methods, such as straining water through cloths or using clay filters, are not effective in eliminating the toxins from these bacteria.

According to the report, in some parts of the river, the concentration of these bacteria reached 213,520 cells per milliliter (mL), that is, a value four times higher than the maximum limit allowed by the National Environmental Council (Conama), which is 50,000 cells/mL.

In one of the samples collected, the density was so extreme that the laboratory was unable to measure it, according to researchers from the Institute of Independent Territorial Environmental Monitoring and Intercultural Science of Volta Grande do Xingu (MATI-VGX), who detected the problem on October 27th.

The Federal Public Ministry (MPF) in Altamira reported that it sent requests for urgent action to the Public Authorities.

Toxic water

The appearance of the green spot began to be reported by indigenous people from the Pykayako village, of the Xikrin people, around October 23rd. On October 27th, the spot was officially detected by MATI-VGX researchers.

According to experts, the proliferation of these bacteria is directly linked to extreme drought and high water temperatures. The researchers also do not rule out that the situation has been worsened by the dumping of external contaminants, such as pesticides, fertilizers or chemicals from illegal mining.

Additional samples were sent to the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) to analyze the presence of heavy metals, according to the scientists.

Impacts

The routine of communities that depend on the Bacajá River has been completely changed. The consumption of fish and the use of water for bathing, drinking and household chores were suspended as recommended.

"I was born and raised here and I've never seen this. We can't bathe in the river anymore, we can't fish either", says Paulo Passos Ferreira, an indigenous member of the Arara people and researcher at the institute.

The pollution occurs on the eve of the closed season and fish reproduction period in the region, a period called piracema, which begins on November 15th.