STATE (DIS)REGULATION AND THE SEARCH FOR SAFETY IN MINING TAILINGS DAMS

Abstract

The crimes that occurred with tailings dams in Mariana and Brumadinho, in the state of Minas Gerais, exposed the danger of these containment structures. The mining activity is highly profitable, but it negatively impacts the territories in which it is carried out. On the one hand, to earn ever-increasing profits, mining companies opt for lower-cost tailings dams, thus ignoring safety. On the other hand, the State, by acting with omission or dubiousness in the enactment of laws and by failing to rigorously inspect mining activities, contributes to increasing its risks. In this way, populations living close to tailings dams live without due state support in risk prevention. The purpose of this article is to analyze how social management can contribute to local development in mining territories, enabling the construction of communication between society, the state and companies. Based on the literature review, the study revealed that, from the perspective of social management – the strengthening of social relations and the involvement of different civil society actors through participation – it is the way to build responsible and safe mining, with the purpose of local development.