GEO Brasil - UNEP

the state of environmental disasters
the state of the environment in Brazil
replaced the food baskets doled out by PRODEA (Food Distribution Programme)
in the area affected by the drought; approximately 800 thousand families received
R$1500 per month The table below shows figures associated to these
Programmes (Table 11)
Table 11 - Emergency Actions by the Federal Government - 2001 Drought
R$1.00
SEGMENTS
Recipient
Municipalities
MIDWEST REGION
Recipient
Famillies
Recipient
Population
Fund
Expenditures
Income scholarship 1,211 1,018,654 5,000,000
Income/Food scholarship 737 800,000 4,000,000 383,000,000
Water-tank trucks 1,040 ---------- 4,000,000 57,500,000
TOTAL -------- 1,818,654 -------- 440,500,000
Source: State Coordinations of Civil Defence - CEDEC (only those notified to SEDEC/MI)
Specially because the population’s
lack of proper awareness, one of the
most serious radiological disasters in
the world occurred in the region On
September 13, 1987, a contamination
of Caesium-137 took place in Goiania
City Four people died and another 129
suffered from internal and external
contamination Decontamination of
affected areas generated 134 tons of
contaminated waste, which has been
properly isolated
Another major regional disaster is
associated to mining activities, when
mercury wastes are carried by rivers
to the Pantanal
The MidWest Region’s temperature is extremely diversified due to its landscape,
latitudinal extension and atmospheric dynamics This does not hold true for
precipitation levels, which is more homogeneous
The region’s precipitation levels are predominantly due to the atmospheric
circulation system The annual average precipitation level ranges from 2000 to
3000 mm to the north of the State of Mato Grosso and decreases towards E and
S, where this average revolves around 1500 mm in East of the State of Goias and
1250 mm in Mato Grosso’s “Pantanal” (Wetlands) Despite this unevenness, the
region has high rain rates (INMET)
YEAR 2000 – The most relevant
disaster in the Central West were
floods and windstorms, especially in
the State of Mato Grosso, where 11
municipalities and 25 thousand people
were affected by floods In addition,
50 thousand people in one
municipality suffered the effects of a
windstorm
This region is the largest area vulnerable to forest fires in Brazil The long dry
spells have been more serious than droughts as they cause losses to the region’s
agriculture and 50 million head of cattle, when the green mass of pastures falls
down to 20%
Table 12 - MidWest Region - 2001
States Affected in
2001
Goiás
Gales
Floods
Mato Grosso
Floods
Linear erosion
dry season
Mato Grosso do Sul
Gales
Floods
Forest fires
dry season
Affected
Municipalities
01
01
29
01
02
01
02
01
01
Deaths Injured Affected/
Homeless
–
–
11
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
93
–
8,850
–
Total 40 11 – 8,993
50
–
–
–
YEAR 2001 – Again, MidWest was
visited on by floods and windstorms
The State of Mato Grosso deserves
special notice – in Cuiaba City the
floods killed 10 people Disasters were
more frequent from April to June,
except for Navirai City; in the State of
Mato Grosso do Sul, where
windstorms materialised in August (/
Table 12)
Other disasters also occurred: dry spell
from August to October in some
municipalities of Mato Grosso
(Guimaraes Plateau and Jangada City)
and Mato Grosso do Sul (Bonito City)
and in September a forest fire
destroyed the Municipality of
Bodoquena, in Mato Grosso do Sul
Source: State Coordinations of Civil Defence - CEDEC (only those notified to SEDEC/MI)
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