Traditional communities protest against landfill project and Pará government

By Fabyo Cruz – From Cenarium

BELÉM (PA) – Residents of the Pará municipalities of Acará and Bujaru mobilized this Thursday, the 25th, in Belém to protest against the installation of two landfills in the region. The act, which gathered about 400 people, included the participation of quilombola and riverside communities, resort entrepreneurs, and local merchants, and targeted the Government of Pará and the companies Revita Engenharia S/A, from the Solvi Group, and Ciclus, responsible for the project.

The demonstration took place in front of the Governor’s Palace and partially blocked one of the lanes of Almirante Barroso Avenue. According to participants, the proposal represents significant environmental, social, and economic risks for Acará, Bujaru, and the Metropolitan Region of Belém (RMB). They claim that the project constitutes environmental racism, since it will be installed about 530 meters from quilombola territories without prior consultation with the affected populations.

The project, still under review by the Pará State Secretariat of Environment and Sustainability (Semas), foresees the disposal of 1,600 tons of solid waste per day from the Metropolitan Region of Belém and from Bujaru itself. The landfill would be installed in an area of 200 hectares on the banks of PA-483 (Alça Viária). According to quilombola leaders, the initiative threatens local ecosystems, compromises water quality, and puts traditional ways of life at risk.

Seven community representatives were received by members of the state government, while the others remained mobilized outside. During the protest, the Pará Military Police (PM-PA) dispersed part of the group with pepper spray bombs and rubber bullets, hitting elderly people, children, and pregnant women, according to participants’ reports.

One demonstrator, who did not wish to be identified, told CENARIUM that there was contact with the government’s ombudsman, represented by Nilma Lima, and that a meeting was scheduled for next week with representatives of the government, Semas, and other agencies to address the landfill licensing process. According to him, the protest was motivated by the possible installation of a “dump” in the Acará and Bujaru region, near the Alça Viária.

“They spoke with the government’s ombudsman, Nilma Lima. A meeting was scheduled for next week to address the landfill licensing process, with the government, Semas, and other agencies. The protest is against the possible installation of a ‘dump’ in the Acará and Bujaru region, near the Alça Viária,” he said.

According to the demonstrator, the protest ended in the late afternoon, after the action of the Military Police, and participants began their return to their communities.

CENARIUM requested clarification from the Government of Pará, Semas, and the Pará Military Police about the situation. The PM informed, through a statement, that “it was called to ensure the population’s right to come and go. Specialized teams cleared the road, acting technically and without confrontation.” The corporation also stressed that “one of the demonstrators threw an object at a motorcyclist and was taken to the police station to provide clarification.”

Semas, also through a statement, informed that “the landfill project process in the municipality of Acará was denied due to failure to meet the minimum requirements for technical analysis regarding the licensing requested by the enterprise. As for the project in the municipality of Bujaru, it awaits the start of consultations with traditional communities by the intervening body responsible for the consultation process.”

Edited by Jadson Lima
Translated from Portuguese by Gustô Alves