Bracell Property Security brigade members worked with the Bahia Fire Department and the Institute of Environment and Water Resources (Inema) teams to remove the oil from beaches of the north coast of the state for almost two months. So far, the volunteers have helped to collect around 12 tons of waste on the Busca Vida, Praia do Forte and Imbassaí beaches. The spill hits several beaches in nine northeastern states. In addition to the team to assist in the operation, Bracell donated 600 pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gloves, leggings, boots, caps, safety glasses and sunscreen to the teams.
Douglas Pithon, Property Security Manager at Bracell, pointed out that the work is hard. “When the stains are small plates, you can roll and bag, but when they are scattered, you need to sift the sand,” he said. Military firefighter Almeida Júnior praised the Bracell initiative. “This integration has given us more strength to work on cleaning as the affected areas are too large. Considering the scale and environmental impact of this disaster, which affected mangroves, sands and beaches, the partnership with Bracell has added efforts to this fight,” said Júnior.
On October 28, the work was supported by two Bracell drone operators who helped in the identification of oil hotspots in the waters. However, the bad news is the oil stains continue to appear. “It’s like wiping ice. The teams gather today and tomorrow appears more. Itacimirim beach itself, which was clean, is now full of oil,” said Douglas. According to him, fishing communities such as Siribinha, in the Conde area, have been suffering for a week without being able to fish. Soon, if the situation is not resolved, tourism will suffer even greater impacts, considering the approaching summer, when thousands of tourists come to the northern coast of Bahia.
“Carrying out this operation is very rewarding, as preserving nature and our beaches is a very noble mission and is priceless. We always try to make the difference and give our best,” said Brigadier José Carlos Júnior.
