The occupation in risk areas in Petrópolis has grown more than the average of the total occupation of the city in the last 35 years. While the total housing areas in the city jumped from 30 square kilometers in 1985 to 50 square kilometers in 2020, occupations in subnormal agglomerates (places of irregular housing and in hazardous areas) jumped from 1.9 to 4.1 square kilometers. , in the same period.
The data are from a survey carried out by environmental engineer Edmilson Rodrigues, from the MapBiomas urban mapping team.
While the increase in occupation in irregular and high risk areas for landslides and floods in Petrópolis was around 107% in the last 35 years, residential growth in other areas was 66% in the same period. It is still possible to say that 6.6% of the areas in the city were in irregular locations 35 years ago. In 2020, the proportion rose to 8.26%.
For Julio Pedrassoli, one of the MapBiomas researchers involved in the study, the data point to the urgency of discussing and looking carefully at urban occupation in the city and in the country.
“These data add another layer of complexity to the occupation of Petrópolis and many other areas in Brazil, where there is a persistent occupation of inappropriate areas by vulnerable populations, who occupy areas that are often dangerous, such as steep slopes and other risk areas. They are victims of the lack of public policies, including social ones”, he reflects.
Julio points out that the inhabitants of these regions cannot be blamed since, in most cases, this occupation does not occur as a result of a rational choice, but out of necessity. This, according to the researcher, evidences what he qualifies as a state negligence in fulfilling its role of providing decent housing conditions.
Report shown by CNN this week revealed that housing projects for victims of rains in Petrópolis have been stopped since 2011. After the tragedy of the rains in the Serrana Region that year, the Union allocated land to the state government for the construction of housing projects for the “Minha Casa Minha Vida” program. ”. No housing was built in the city.
The risks in Petrópolis have been known for a long time. The last Municipal Risk Reduction Plan (PMRR) prepared in 2017 already indicated that there were at least 15,240 households in the first district of Petrópolis in high and very high risk areas for landslides. This was precisely the region most impacted by the rains of February 15th in the municipality.
THE CNNgeotechnical engineer Luís Carlos de Oliveira, one of those responsible for the PMRR, spoke about the problem of lack of control and housing policies.
“All the reflections made after the study point towards structural issues of urbanization, urban control and housing solutions – and not just structural works. In the entire region where the catastrophe occurred on Tuesday, there was a densification in these places, with an increase and intensification of occupation in recent years”, highlighted the specialist at the time.
The tragedy has already left at least 208 dead in Petrópolis, 124 women and 84 men. Of this total, 40 were children or adolescents. Searches continue to take place in various parts of the municipality, with dozens of people still missing.
*With information from Elis Barreto, Fabiana Lima and Isabelle Saleme, from CNN
Source: CNN Brasil
