Terrible disaster in Brazil: Dam rupture launches toxic waste on river basin, Many dead or missing.

a reply to: Kester

Dams rarely give way "suddenly", they erode. Either undercutting, over topping or side erosion, water under increasing pressure will eat away and eventually the damn will fail. Sounds like they were concerned about that and sent the drill team to determine where water was saturating or traveling through the dam.

The initial structure of the dam was designed to hold back so much slurry. Ongoing operations would surpass this limit at some point. They know what the limits are and the overburden they were applying. Unlike dams with sluice gates there is no built in relief for water backing up or sudden additional pressure, like heavy rains, for instance.

The dam is designed solid, so failure at some point is inevitable. Problem for the company is solved. In the long ruin, there will be an "investigation", a "token cleanup" and fines levied (a drop in the corporate bucket of waste).

Business as usual.

50 Millions isnt enough when your taking peoples lively hoods in these countries.

Rich People suck pretty bad most of the time

a reply to: TheTruthBruhh

The problem, in cases like this, is that the company directly responsible for the accident is a smaller company that gives work to most people on that region, so if the company has to pay several millions it's possible that it will close. That's why people are asking for the parent companies (the company is a joint-venture between the two biggest mining companies, Brazil's Vale and Australia's BHP Billiton) to pay and not shut Samarco (the company operating the mine) down.

Edited to add that, apparently, Vale is the third biggest mining company, not the second.

Seems on schedule as everything else, likely happening in most primitive countries. Repugnant management filled with uncouth people. Always focusing on colossal amounts of profit and screwing up everything else.

It reaches the sea.

Corporations are evil- they are constantly doing evil acts and causing massive damage to the planet and the human race, but much of it is hidden from people like this incident.

a reply to: Kester

This is terrible! Brazil has some of the nicest beaches in the world and this one disaster ruins it all, ruins good drinking water in the villages, and creates devastation in the towns and villages....now it looks like I will have to postpone any plans on taking a trip there over the winter!

a reply to: Skywatcher2011

I mentioned in my post that because the olympics will be there, they will do everything to cover this up

but, what about the athletes competing who have to swim in the waterways? there was a story a while back how some atheletes got sick after swimming there.

what happened is terrible thing and I feel so bad for the people that live there.

originally posted by: research100
but, what about the athletes competing who have to swim in the waterways?

This river is some 500 km from Rio de Janeiro, I don't think it affects the Olympic Games directly.