Mariana and 18 Other Brazilian Cities Join Rio Doce Dam Compensation Deal

Mariana and 18 other municipalities in Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo joined the Rio Doce compensation agreement on August 20, raising the number of participating cities to 45 of 49 eligible municipalities. Mariana is to receive R$2.4 billion through 2043, twice the amount initially offered, including an additional R$1.2 billion from Samarco over six years. The broader R$170 billion plan involves governments, justice institutions and mining companies Samarco, Vale and BHP. It addresses the 2015 Fundão dam collapse, which killed 19 people and sent mining waste along 670 kilometers of waterways to the Atlantic coast.