Public Ministry of Accounts questions R$2.1 million plane to fight fires in AM; Civil Defense has 10 days to explain

Plane operating in Parintins. — Photo: Liam Cavalcante/Rede Amazônica

The Public Ministry of Accounts of Amazonas (MPC-AM) gave ten days for the state's Civil Defense to justify the emergency rental of a plane for R$2.1 million to fight forest fires. The aircraft transports and releases less than 2 thousand liters of water per flight, a capacity considered inadequate to deal with large fires, according to a complaint filed by a professor at the Federal University of Amazonas (Ufam).

The notification was sent on Friday (9). According to the document, which g1 had access to, the contract, worth R$ 2,138,500, was signed with the company Jasurah Aeroagrícola Ltda. The complaint questions the efficiency of the equipment and points out that the state government could have requested support from the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), which has larger aircraft for this type of operation.

Among the models mentioned is the KC-390, which can release up to 12 thousand liters of water in a single operation and has already been used in firefighting missions in the Pantanal. The model of the aircraft rented by Civil Defense was not disclosed.

The representation sent to MPC-AM also questions why this alternative was not adopted before contracting the smaller aircraft.

The accounting attorney Ruy Marcelo Alencar de Mendonça set a deadline of ten days for the Secretary-Commander of Civil Defense of Amazonas, Colonel Mauro Marcelo Lima Freire, to present clarifications on the hiring.

The agency wants to receive the full copy of the emergency contract and the technical studies that supported the company's choice. Civil Defense must also justify the expense and present information that allows it to assess whether the contract was economically advantageous and appropriate to firefighting needs.

The investigation investigates possible flaws in economy and efficiency in the application of public resources. So far, there is no conclusion about the existence of irregularities.

After receiving the letter from MPC-AM, Civil Defense registered the process in the government system and forwarded the documents to the Legal Department for analysis and comment.

g1 questioned the Amazonas government's position on the MPC-AM notification, but until the most recent update of this report, it did not receive a response.

Fires in Amazonas

The charge comes amid the spread of fires in Amazonas.

In Itacoatiara, a large fire hits the Lake Canaçari region, and has lasted more than 20 days. The affected area totals 1,300 hectares. The fire is being investigated as criminal and a suspect involved in the case was identified by the Municipal Department of the Environment (Semma).

In the municipality of Careiro da Várzea, a strong fire was recorded in an area of ​​vegetation more than ten days ago. The records include flames in the Bom Futuro community, areas destroyed by fire in the Autaz Mirim district and a fire in the Jatuarana community.

In Parintins, 20 fires were recorded on Thursday (8). The occurrences were identified both in the city and in the rural area of ​​the municipality. The fires destroy crops and are already affecting the price of food sold in the city.

In Boa Vista do Ramos, at least eight fires were recorded on Wednesday (8). In addition to the smoke, the situation worries residents due to the difficulty of fighting the flames and the impacts on wild animals.

Images reveal an area of ​​the Autaz Mirim district, in Careiro da Várzea, completely destroyed by fire — Photo: Alexandro Pereira/Rede Amazônica