FACING THE MURKY WATERS OF THE CITY OF MARIANA (MINAS GERAIS): FORCED DISPLACEMENT ASSOCIATED WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER AND ITS INTERFACE WITH THE RIGHT TO HOUSING

Abstract

This research examines the disaster in the city of Mariana (state of Minas Gerais), caused by the collapse of the Fundão Dam on November 5, 2015. This disaster resulted in serious environmental contamination and the need to evict approximately 442 families, i.e. almost 1,200 people had to be forcibly displaced due to the risks posed by the disaster. The aim of this paper is to analyze the disaster from the perspective of compensation and (re)construction of the lives of the people who were displaced and saw their right to housing compromised, a right that is an expression of human and fundamental rights. The method adopted in the research is the hypothetical-deductive one; from there, a bibliographical-documentary literature review is adopted as the analysis methodology, from an interdisciplinary perspective, taking into account the conceptual delimitation of environmentally displaced people and the right to housing. The aim is to recognize that the provision of new housing is not enough to overcome the legal and social impacts of the Mariana disaster; after all, people are forced to break with and adapt to a new way of life, not to mention that their cultural identity, roots and social interactions in their place of origin are compromised.