Residents of the AM countryside suffer with rising prices of basic necessities after bridge collapse on BR-319

Marcela Leiros – Cenarium Magazine

MANAUS – Traders and residents of the Amazonas countryside reported to CENARIUM MAGAZINE that they have suffered with high prices and lack of supply of basic necessities, after the collapse of the bridge over the Curuçá River, at BR-319, in Amazonas. Cooking gas, mineral water and food became more expensive due to the change in transport logistics for them to reach cities like Manaquiri and Careiro Castanho, located more than 100 kilometers from Manaus.

The accident happened at kilometer 25 of the highway, last September 28. Part of the bridge had already been partially closed the day before, after it began to give way. Four people died and one is still missing.

“We used to buy water [from jugs] for R$ 9, today it is R$ 15. The gas is R$ 135, I used to buy R$ 128”, said the agricultural technician Ricardo Sobreira.

Sobreira also said that the shops in the city are beginning to be empty and without diversity of products. The drought of the rivers, in the Amazon, still contributes to the crisis that is taking place in the cities.

“We have been without water for more than six days, we can’t even drink water from the well, because the river is dry. Where there was assorted commerce is becoming scarce. My wife said that we have to do our shopping because in a few days there won’t be anything left. The boats are still coming, but in three, four days, they won’t arrive anymore because the river is getting narrower”, he added.

Traders run against time

The businesswoman Amália Medeiros, who sells mineral water in Manaquiri, tells about the difficulties to get merchandise for the commerce. With the collapse of the bridge, the main means of access for food, like cheese, soda, and even construction materials was obstructed. The traders need to go to the municipalities of Iranduba or Manacapuru to acquire the items.

“People are making do as they can. They are going to Comunidade Bela Vista [in Manacapuru] with merchandise, put it on the boat and bring it. Or, they go to Iranduba, put it on the boat and bring it. But in Iranduba, the car is parked about 200 meters from where the boat is. People have to walk down the sand and carry the goods on their backs. Yesterday, I went to get water for myself and five other merchants. We got 650 bottles of water”, he said.

According to the trader, the waterway terminal in the city is newly renovated and has not yet been cleared for the docking of vessels. The report questioned the National Department of Transportation Infrastructure (Dnit) and is waiting for the agency’s position.

Position

According to the Dnit, teams from the department are working on the conclusion of the accesses on the banks of Curuçá River to install a temporary metallic bridge structure. The assembly of the structure will be done in partnership with the Brazilian Army and should be installed until the 19th of this month.

The Government of Amazonas said that, to avoid the shortage of supplies in municipalities like Careiro Castanho, Careiro da Várzea, Autazes and Manaquiri, the Crisis Cabinet is studying an alternative route that will leave the community Novo Remanso, in Itacoatiara, and from there will follow through Autazes with the loads to the other municipalities. The route will still be analyzed by the mayors of the cities.

The search for the missing João Nascimento, 58 years old, continues to be conducted by the Fire Department and the Brazilian Navy. The Civil Defense and the State Department of Social Assistance (Seas) are helping in the transportation of people crossing the Curuçá River, using four boats. The search for Nascimento is also being conducted in parallel by divers from CBMAM, with support from the Brazilian Navy.

The Manaquiri City Hall clarified that, in order to ease the traffic in the city port, which is now more used for the loading and unloading of vehicles that used to use the bridge, it organizes, in lines, the trucks that are waiting for the ferries to dock. He is also making a port feasible in the Barro Alto community to facilitate the work of the ferries that transport the vehicles traveling on the BR-319 highway.