Análise sobre os impactos da atividade extrativa mineral de sal-gema em Maceió/AL

Abstract

This work analyzes the rock salt mineral industry and the impacts caused by the exploitation of the ore in the city of Maceió, capital of the State of Alagoas. This mining subsidizes the cloroquímico sector that involves the local, state, regional and national economy, but this activity is considered by the Geological Service of Brazil (CPRM) as responsible for the subsidence process that occurs in the soil of 5 neighborhoods in Maceió, triggering the biggest disaster in an urban area in Brazil, a problem that directly affects about 50 thousand people. With the scientific investigation of this problem, it is proposed to contribute through geographic science with this theme, where a historical-dialectical study is carried out on the social and economic formation of Alagoas, emphasizing the socio-espacial specificities of the city of Maceió. Then characterizing the geomorphological aspects and geology of the region, substantiating on the physical elements of the region where the rock salt extraction wells are located in three neighborhoods of the city and in Laguna Mundaú. After these findings, the history of rock salt mining is discussed, contextualizing the chemical industry, especially the cloro-soda sector and its derivatives. The history of the company responsible for mining is also contextualized, from its emergence as Salgema S/A, the events leading to privatization and even the emergence of one of the largest petrochemical companies in the world, Braskem S/A. Pointing out the contributions of the Polo Cloroquímico de Alagoas (PCA) to the Alagoas economy and its contradictions. The last part is dedicated to analyzing the environmental disaster in progress, elucidating the process of subsidence on the ground that has already affected 5 neighborhoods in the city and on what caused the mine collapses identified by the CRPR in 2019. Then it is diagnosed about the environmental risks , to which the urban population located close to chloro-chemical industrial activities is vulnerable and, finally, a critical analysis of the environmental, social and economic impacts caused by the mineral extraction activity of rock salt. Where many damages to society and the environment of the city of Maceió were identified.