The federal government recognized an emergency situation in the city of Joinville, in the interior of Santa Catarina, after a truck with sulfonic acid overturned on the SC-418 highway and hit a river that supplies the city. The accident occurred last Monday morning (29).
Sulfonic acid is a substance used in the manufacture of cleaning products and poses risks to human health if ingested or in case of contact with skin or eyes.
The decree declaring an emergency in the city was signed yesterday by Mayor Adriano Silva (Novo). The situation was recognized on the same day by the national secretary of Protection and Civil Defense, Wolnei Wolff Barreiros, through an ordinance published in an extra edition of the Official Gazette of the Union.
Municipalities in an emergency situation recognized by the federal government can have easier access to federal resources, make emergency purchases without bidding and exceed the fiscal targets set to fund actions to combat the crisis.
Accident affected supply
After the accident, Joinville city hall announced the temporary closure of water intake at the Cubatão River Treatment Station. The measure was taken to prevent the station from receiving water contaminated with sulfonic acid.
This Tuesday (30), the municipal administration reported that the water supply had already begun to be restored in the city. “After carrying out an analysis of the treated water, considered potable and within the recommended parameters for consumption, it began to be sent to the reservoirs, which had been empty since yesterday afternoon,” said the city hall.
The city hall also informed that “initially, the water that was still inside the pipe may have a changed color or odor, but this does not make it unsuitable for use and has no relationship with the product spilled into the Cubatão River”.
Other cities in emergency situation
In addition to Joinville, the federal government recognized an emergency situation in 44 other cities in nine Brazilian states. Three others entered a state of public calamity.
In Rio Grande do Sul, the cities of Agudo, Ajuricaba, Arroio do Tigre, Capão do Cipó, Capitão, Dona Francisca, Júlio de Castilhos and Sobradinho were hit by intense rains, as well as Serranópolis de Minas and Três Corações, in Minas Gerais.
Still in RS, the municipalities of Barros Cassal, Nova Petrópolis and Presidente Lucena were hit by floods, while Cruzeiro do Sul and Porto Xavier recorded floods. Nova Santa Rita and Giruá were affected by windstorms and Vista Alegre, by hail. The Minas Gerais municipality of Engenheiro Caldas also recorded hail.
The following cities were recognized as an emergency situation due to the drought: Caetité, Heliópolis, Iaçu, Iramaia, Mundo Novo and Presidente Jânio Quadros, in Bahia; Boa Ventura, Brejo do Cruz, Nova Floresta, Santa Cecília, Santana dos Garrotes, São João do Rio do Peixe, São José de Piranhas and Tavares, in Paraíba; Jaguaribara and Mombaça, in Ceará; Iati and Ibirajuba, in Pernambuco; Caicó, in Rio Grande do Norte; and Figueirópolis, in Tocantins
Itamarandiba and Joaíma, in Minas Gerais, Cedro, in Ceará, Coronel José Dias, in Piauí, and Campo Grande and Santo Antônio, in Rio Grande do Norte, were hit by drought, which is a period of lack of rain that lasts longer than the drought.
The Ministry of Integration and Regional Development informs that the cities of Estrela and Taquari, in Rio Grande do Sul, were recognized as a state of public calamity due to intense rain, while in Bodocó, in Pernambuco, the reason was drought.
(Published by Fábio Munhoz. With information from Agência Brasil)
Source: CNN Brasil
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