The wish to return to Bento

Most residents of Bento Rodrigues, the town hit the hardest by the collapse of the Fundão dam, dream of the “new Bento”. “I have spent plenty of time courting underneath this mango tree, in front of my father-in-law’s house. This is where the square and Sandra’s bar was located, our meeting point”, said Manoel Marcos Muniz, 53, known as Marquinho, a pump operator and maintainer at Samarco who retired some twelve months before the tragedy. “I took advantage of this phase of my life to work the land and raise cattle, things I have always liked and done, even when I had a job. This is the life I will lead in the “new” Bento. This is the resurrection of the dream, because being unable to do anything is frustrating”. Marquinho visits what is left of Bento Rodrigues. “Despite all the sad things that happened here, I recharge my batteries when I walk through the community. I really miss everything I experienced here”, he explains. “The new Bento will never be the same as the old town, but we will make it as true to the original as possible. I never thought we would experience everything that has happened, despite being aware of the risks of living near a dam. We had a good life”.

The Village Reconstruction Program addresses one of the most sensitive issues in infrastructure recovery: restoring the community’s way of life and homes of residents in three districts devastated by the mudslide – Bento Rodrigues and Paracatu de Baixo, in Mariana; and Gesteira, in Barra Longa.

These people had their homes destroyed or rendered unliveable and most are now living in rented properties. They are scattered across the region, far from relatives and neighbours. “Life is calm here and pleasant. When I came here there was plenty to do. Now I take care of my chickens and the allotment and my wife really likes flowers. We try and live our country life the way it used to be”, said José Gilberto Martins, 67, known as Seu Deco, Seu Deco, who now lives in the district of Bandeirantes, in Mariana. “It was a real blow finding out we would have to move. Everything was organized there, our life was stable, we lived in a good house, much bigger than our current house, with a pool and 200 chickens and crops. My dream now is to move back to new Bento and lead the same life”.

What we learned from the project

We learned a great deal from defining the process for rebuilding Bento Rodrigues. The first design, presented before our work started, was created by an experienced urban planning firm and called for a modern new-fangled village for the residents. It was turned down. “We want the same streets, the same neighbours, even if we are tired of each other, and the same Bento”, said Antônio Pereira Gonçalves, 47, known as Da Lua, one of the community leaders. We believe that if any solution is to last in all the recovery programs it will have to consider the input of those involved.
Based on a process of consultation, the new urban plans were designed in conjunction with the community, its commission of representatives, and Cáritas, the technical advisers who help in resettlement decisions. “Following the creation of the Renova Foundation dialogs have improved, they took note of the community’s expectations for the construction of the new community. The plans were changed many times to accommodate people and further adjustments are expected up until the end”, concluded Da Lua. The result? The design was unanimously approved on January 28, 2017.

Approval of the Bento Rodrigues urban plans
(Renova Foundation’s Archive)

Reconstruction is painstaking and makes people anxious. The land was chosen by residents on May 7, 2016 and acquired from Arcelor Mittal, the former owner. Now we have to fight bureaucracy, including environmental and urban planning studies, the environmental license and the decree issued by the municipal government transforming the region into an urban area. Vegetation removal and landscaping will probably start in July 2017. All the collective issues to ensure the original plans of Bento Rodrigues are maintained, including preserving neighbourhood relations, were addressed at more than 70 meetings with residents. Now we are having one-to-one conversations with some 200 families to fine-tune the details of each home. Completion is expected by the end of March 2019.

Reconstruction in Paracatu and Gesteira

Based on the adjustments and lessons from the negotiations with the community of Bento Rodrigues, the reconstruction of the district of Paracatu de Baixo is following the same process: the site of the new community has been chosen, the purchase of the area is being approved and we are preparing the urban plans with the participation of 108 local families. Paracatu is a unique case because there are more rural residents connected to the urban area. A total of 12 meetings were held between July 2016 and January 2017 to understand the expectations and demarcate plots. The final proposal is expected to be presented at the community by May 2017.

The delay has made people anxious in the community. “We didn’t need that many meetings. They already had the elements to determine what people wanted. People want houses the way they used to be, as each house had its own identity. They could provide the land, we could all work together and build it our own way. They also challenged Renova to speed it up. We want Paracatu to resemble us, with our festivities”, complained resident Luzia Nazaré Mota Queirós. Young adult Vanessa Aparecida Isaias, 21, is also concerned:
“Many people think we won’t be getting Paracatu back. I dream about this but sometimes we lose hope”.

Reconstruction in Paracatu and Gesteira

Based on the adjustments and lessons from the negotiations with the community of Bento Rodrigues, the reconstruction of the district of Paracatu de Baixo is following the same process: the site of the new community has been chosen, the purchase of the area is being approved and we are preparing the urban plans with the participation of 108 local families. Paracatu is a unique case because there are more rural residents connected to the urban area. A total of 12 meetings were held between July 2016 and January 2017 to understand the expectations and demarcate plots. The final proposal is expected to be presented at the community by May 2017.

The delay has made people anxious in the community. “We didn’t need that many meetings. They already had the elements to determine what people wanted. People want houses the way they used to be, as each house had its own identity. They could provide the land, we could all work together and build it our own way. They also challenged Renova to speed it up. We want Paracatu to resemble us, with our festivities”, complained resident Luzia Nazaré Mota Queirós. Young adult Vanessa Aparecida Isaias, 21, is also concerned:
“Many people think we won’t be getting Paracatu back. I dream about this but sometimes we lose hope”.

Today, however, rural residents are returning to the region. “I thought about selling my land, but there was a great deal of interest in it so I thought: wow! I went back to my plan of having my country home at the weekends. Progress began to be made on all the issues after Renova Foundation came into play. I am excited, I have refurbished a guest house and will now do up the caretaker’s house”, said trader Faria, who has a store in Mariana and a country home in Paracatu.
The smallest of the communities to be rebuilt, Gesteira was forecast for completion at the end of 2017, but we came across an unexpected obstacle: the owner of the land chosen by the residents changed his mind and no longer wished to sell. With the help of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, we will discuss the situation with the community again. However, the Gustavo Capanema municipal school has been delivered, in addition to the square and refurbished sports court. Altogether, there are eight homes, eleven plots and a square with the Nossa Senhora da Conceição church.