{"id":80661,"date":"2026-03-31T12:15:25","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T15:15:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redept.com.br\/blogosfera\/fear-of-river-contamination-by-a-mining-company-returns-to-haunt-indigenous-people-in-amazonas-four-decades-after-first-accusations\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T12:15:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T15:15:25","slug":"fear-of-river-contamination-by-a-mining-company-returns-to-haunt-indigenous-people-in-amazonas-four-decades-after-first-accusations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redept.com.br\/blogosfera\/fear-of-river-contamination-by-a-mining-company-returns-to-haunt-indigenous-people-in-amazonas-four-decades-after-first-accusations\/","title":{"rendered":"Fear of River Contamination by a Mining Company Returns to Haunt Indigenous People in Amazonas, Four Decades After First Accusations"},"content":{"rendered":"
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FROM THE WAIMIRI ATROARI INDIGENOUS LAND (AMAZONAS STATE, BRAZIL) \u2013<\/strong> Akynamy no longer drinks from the river, choosing instead to bathe in a shower fed by well water, though the Alala\u00fa river runs directly past her village. \u201cI\u2019m afraid to bathe in the river\u2014it\u2019s polluted, it\u2019s dirty,\u201d the elder laments.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her story is increasingly common among the Kinja, as the Waimiri Atroari people\u2014living between Amazonas and Roraima\u2014call themselves. They are neighbors of Minera\u00e7\u00e3o Taboca, which is responsible for one of Brazil\u2019s largest open-pit mines.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since 1982, the company has operated in Presidente Figueiredo, Amazonas, and today is Brazil\u2019s largest producer of refined tin\u2014a metal that reaches the supply chains of automotive giants such as Toyota and Tesla.<\/span><\/p>\n

Akynamy\u2019s concerns are well-founded. A stream feeding the Alala\u00fa\u2014the principal river of the Indigenous land\u2014is reportedly contaminated with lead, arsenic, and other hazardous substances. That\u2019s according to a report on water quality submitted by Brazil\u2019s National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples (FUNAI) to Brazil\u2019s Federal Public Prosecutor\u2019s Office (MPF) in Amazonas in August 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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The report, produced by the biotech startup Aqua Viridi, warned these contaminants in the water and sediments posed an \u201cimmediate threat\u201d to both the Waimiri Atroari and their environment. Rep\u00f3rter Brasil<\/strong> reviewed the document firsthand; this reporting was supported by the Pulitzer Center\u2019s Rainforest Investigations Network.<\/span><\/p>\n

These findings led the MPF to revive its ongoing five-year investigation into whether mining is poisoning Indigenous lands. \u201cFUNAI\u2019s information proves there is a tangible impact on the territory,\u201d said Fernando Merloto Soave, the Federal Prosecutor in Manaus.<\/span><\/p>\n

For over forty years, the Kinja have live with the destruction of their homeland. Now, a new threat looms: a mineral rush fueled by the energy transition is driving new demand in the Amazon, adding pressure on the Waimiri Atroari, whose population was nearly annihilated in the 1970s during the construction of the BR-174 highway.<\/span><\/p>\n

Minera\u00e7\u00e3o Taboca continues to mine cassiterite\u2014the main ore for tin\u2014alongside tantalum and niobium, and is now exploring ways to extract rare earth elements. These minerals are coveted by the arms and technology sectors worldwide. In 2024, the company was acquired by China Nonferrous Metal Mining Group, a state-owned enterprise.<\/span><\/p>\n

The outlook is for growth. In January 2026, Taboca announced a US$100 million (R$523 million at the current exchange rate) investment to double its output of minerals in Amazonas and meet global demand for so-called \u201ccritical minerals.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Akynamy lives in Xar\u00e1 village, on the banks of the Alala\u00fa River: \u201cIf the fish are gone, our people are gone.\u201d (Photo: Fernando Martinho\/Rep\u00f3rter Brasil)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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The Waimiri Atroari Indigenous Territory has about 95 villages, and at least 25 of them directly use the waters of the Alala\u00fa River. (Photo: Fernando Martinho\/Rep\u00f3rter Brasil)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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ASSINE NOSSA NEWSLETTER<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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