Interview: Luiz Fernando Pezão, lieutenant governor of Rio de Janeiro
03/02/2012RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – Evidence of the destruction caused by the largest natural disaster in Brazil’s history can still be seen in the mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro.
The cities hardest hit by the torrential rains are still recovering from the January 2011 natural disaster that killed more than 900 and left nearly 9,000 homeless.
One year after the disaster, Rio de Janeiro Lt. Gov. Luiz Fernando Pezão returned to Nova Friburgo, one of the hardest hit cities. On Jan. 12, 2011, Pezão went to the municipality to coordinate the assistance being provided to victims and bring hope to the homeless.
His visit marked the beginning of the construction project for the first 550 homes that will be built in the Caminho do Céu neighborhood, in the district of Conselheiro Paulino.
“When I came here last year, the city was still very vulnerable. I saw firsthand what needed to be done. It was hard,” he told Infosurhoy.com.
The lieutenant governor says authorities have surveyed more than 20 areas throughout the region to find the safest terrain to serve as the homes’ building site. But there’s a shortage of flat terrain, which is the least susceptible to landslides, and construction also has been slowed by the complicated land appropriation process.
Infosurhoy: What is your assessment a year after the torrential rains struck the mountains of Rio?
Pezão: That was the largest natural disaster in Brazil’s history. Unfortunately, lives were lost and the affected cities suffered major setbacks to their development. However, the government of Rio de Janeiro acted quickly to help the victims and, in two months, life in the cities had returned to normal. In partnership with the federal government, we allocated more than R$1 billion (US$571 million) for construction projects and rent stipends for families who lost their homes, as well as landslide and flood recovery and prevention projects in the seven affected cities.
It’s important to stress this is the responsibility of the municipalities, but the state government has stepped up and done a considerable amount to support the cities, both in terms of executing projects and seeking funds from the federal government. In addition to the slope retention projects, the rebuilding of bridges and highways, the dredging of rivers and canals and the construction of homes in the affected region, we completed a geological survey of 31 municipalities, and we’re going to work in partnership with local governments to mitigate or eliminate the risk of landslides.
Infosurhoy: What’s the state government doing in Nova Friburgo? We were there and we saw some projects in initial phases, but a lot of areas remain completely destroyed. What are the government’s plans for 2012?
Pezão: In Nova Friburgo, we’re investing R$102 million (US$58.25 million) in retention projects alone. We’ve also started work on 2,166 housing units and 60 commercial units. This year, 550 will be completed. The State Environmental Institute (INEA) also recently began dredging, building canals and dams and creating riverside parks. In addition, we’re going to start rebuilding bridges.
Infosurhoy: And what about the city of Teresópolis?
Pezão: The state government is investing more than R$37 million (US$21.13 million) in slope retention projects. With the funds we received from the Ministry of Integration, we will soon begin other slope retention projects, the dredging of the Príncipe, Imbuí and Paquequer rivers and the rehabilitation of the riverside parks along the Imbuí and Paquequer rivers. All of these initiatives total R$98 million (US$56 million). We are also going to rebuild 10 bridges with investments of R$6.4 million (US$3.6 million). In addition, we’re going to begin work on 1,600 new homes.
Infosurhoy: Recently, you advocated a proposal for controlling flooding along the rivers of Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, which have always been affected by the summer rains, and you presented projects to the Ministry of National Integration. Has there been any progress with respect to this initiative?
Pezão: The projects are being analyzed by the Ministry of Integration.
Infosurhoy: In Nova Friburgo, some residents we interviewed said some of the region’s homeless are not receiving rent stipends. They allege the homeless registered by the state are receiving rent checks, and those registered by the municipality are not. They said there was going to be a general re-registration process. Have you heard anything about this?
Pezão: No. The local governments are in charge of registering and selecting the families that will receive benefits.
Infosurhoy: How will the allocation of the first 550 houses that will be built in the neighborhood of Caminho do Céu, in the district of Conselheiro Paulino, in Nova Friburgo, be carried out? Is there a specific order in which they will be allocated?
Pezão: As I said before, that’s the responsibility of the local governments.