Dam collapse in Brazil

How bad is this. The human species, so awesome in many ways is equally destructive and vile in other ways.

I think we are bound to destroy this planet.

Yeah, it seems that way... This is another interview about the dam collapse disaster:
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/latenightlive/dam-disaster/6948242

http://www.bhpbilliton.com/investors/news/bhp-billiton-statement-tailings

http://www.samarco.com/?lang=en

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-26/bhp-billiton-denies-un-claims-brazil-dam-disaster-mud-is-toxic/6976910

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-34939231

Australian mining giant BHP says mud spilled by the devastating collapse of a dam at a Brazilian mine is not toxic.

but ...

The state water agency said it found arsenic levels at 10 times above the legal limit and other harmful metals.

A judge in Brazil's state of Minas Gerais has frozen the Brazilian assets of mining giants BHP Billiton and Vale SA after determining their joint venture Samarco was unable to pay for damage caused by the bursting of a dam at its mine last month.

In a decision issued on Friday the judge ruled that Vale and BHP could be held responsible for the disaster at the iron ore mine in Minas Gerais, for which the government is demanding 20 billion reais $US5 billion ($A7.02 billion).

The dam burst, turning into Brazil's worst environmental disaster, killing 16 people, leaving hundreds homeless and polluting a river 800km long that flows across two states.

http://www.smh.com.au/business/brazilian-assets-of-bhp-frozen-20151220-glrxsb.html

It was like an entire tsunami of mud had come over the world.

http://www.latimes.com/world/brazil/la-fg-brazil-spill-20151220-story.html

Since millions of gallons of mining waste burst from an inland iron ore mine a month ago, 300 miles of the Rio Doce stretching to the Atlantic Ocean has turned a Martian shade of bright orange, and the deadly consequences for residents and wildlife are just beginning to emerge.

As the toxic sludge seeped toward the ocean, residents of hundreds of communities along the river's banks in Espírito Santo state watched in helpless horror.

Within weeks, the pollution reached the ocean in Linhares. Families here gather daily at the mouth of the river, where experts collect samples for testing, and simply gape at the otherworldly changes.

"We were expecting the mud, so we were preparing, or so we thought," said Fabio Gama, who organizes kayak expeditions to cocoa-producing islands and is vice president of the residents' association in the beach fishing community of Regencia, where the waste enters the ocean. "The gravity of the situation only sank in when we saw the river turned into that indescribable red color. And everyone began to cry. They knew they lost their river, they lost their fish, they lost their culture."

Even Sweden's newspaper Dagens Nyheter (DN) has done a long reportage on the catastrophe in Brazil - even if you don't understand Swedish the photos are worth seeing - see http://fokus.dn.se/den-forgiftade-floden/

To add extra to the disaster, sea turtles lay their eggs on the beach where all the toxic river water meets the sea at Regência.
see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Projeto_TAMAR
and
http://www.tamar.org.br/index_ing.php

more  BHP Billiton partner Vale sued by US investors for Brazil Samarco dam disaster
Dec 9 2015
Read more: http://www.afr.com/business/mining/bhp-partner-vale-sued-by-us-investors-for-brazilian-samarco-dam-disaster-20151208-glityh

more  Brazil says Vale, BHP Billiton presented plans for Rio Doce recovery
Jan 18 2016
BRASILIA (Reuters) - Miners Vale SA and BHP Billiton Ltd have presented plans for recovery of the Rio Doce river after a dam burst at their iron ore venture unleashed toxic mud in November, Brazil's Environment Minister Izabella Teixeira said on Monday.

Teixeira said the government had estimated 20 billion reais ($5 billion) were needed to clean up the river but did not say how much the companies had offered to pay. She said progress had been made on the negotiations, however.
see https://news.yahoo.com/brazil-says-vale-bhp-billiton-presented-plans-rio-201455206--finance.html

Samarco's own report about the accident at
http://www.samarco.com/en/balanco/

http://www.4-traders.com/BHP-BILLITON-PLC-4001096/news/BHP-Billiton-Says-Progress-Made-On-Samarco-Settlement-Negotiations-21919266/

02/26/2016 -  BHP Billiton PLC on Friday said progress has been made in its negotiations with Brazilian authorities on a settlement for the Samarco tailings mine dam burst.

Responding to recent news reports that Brazilian authorities are seeking to substantially increase the value of a compensation settlement regarding the mine disaster, BHP said significant progress has been made in the negotiations and it was "hopeful" an agreement will be reached.

The Samarco dam in Mariana burst in early November, killing at least 17 people and devastating the local area. BHP runs the mine alongside Vale SA, the Brazilian mining group.

http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFE4N13F020

BRASILIA, March 1 (Reuters) - Samarco Mineracao SA will pay at least 20 billion reais ($5 billion) in 15 years as part of a deal with the Brazilian government to settle a lawsuit for damages caused by a deadly dam spill at a mine, a government source told Reuters on Tuesday.
 
Samarco, a joint venture between Vale and BHP Billiton, will pay 4.4 billion reais in the three years following the agreement that will be signed on Wednesday, said the official who asked for anonymity because the information was not public.
 
Regarded as Brazil's worst environmental disaster, the burst dam killed 19 people, forced hundreds to leave their homes and polluted one of the country's main rivers. ($1 = 3.9260 Brazilian reais)

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-35713165

The owners of a Brazilian mine that breached a dam, setting off a deadly mudslide, has agreed to pay $4.4bn reais (£804m) in damages.

Samarco - co-owned by Vale and BHP Billiton - will pay $2bn reais in 2016 and $1.2bn in 2017 and 2018.

The Brazilian government originally demanded $20bn reais to address what is considered the country's worst environmental disaster.

In November, two Samarco dams ruptured setting off a deadly mudslide.

The mudslide destroyed the town of Mariana in southern Brazil and killed 19 people.

"This agreement demonstrates our commitment to repairing the damage caused and to contributing to a lasting improvement in the Rio Doce," Samarco said in a statement.

Under the terms of the agreement Brazilian Vale and Australian BHP Billiton will be jointly responsible for the payments if Samarco cannot make them.

The money is being divided into two categories - environmental restoration and compensation for communities.

In February, a police investigation determined Samarco executive had been negligent. Six of the mine's executives including its president were charged with homicide.

http://www.smh.com.au/business/mining-and-resources/samarco-deal-reduces-penalty-costs-20160229-gn6ygx.html

Samarco, which is a 50/50 joint venture between BHP and Vale, will set up a foundation that will run reparatory and compensatory programs in the areas affected by the dam spill.

Samarco will pay the foundation the equivalent of $US500 million this year, the equivalent of $US300 million in 2017 and the equivalent of $US300 million in 2018, with those payments being made in Brazilian currency.
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The company will pay no more than $US400 million in each of the years between 2019 and 2021, and potentially as little as $US200 million in each of those years.

The agreement requires court approval in Brazil, and if successful, will settle a civic public claim lodged by Brazilian authorities for 20 billion Brazilian reais ($US5.13 billion) in remediation payments.

BHP chief executive Andrew Mackenzie welcomed the deal.

"The agreement demonstrates our commitment to repairing the damage caused and to contributing to a lasting improvement in the Rio Doce," he said.

The agreement does not prevent Samarco, BHP and Vale facing further claims for damages arising from the dam spill.