In the wake of the Brumadinho dam collapse, which killed at least 169 people so far—with 141 others still missing— the Brazilian government issued a resolution to end so-called “upstream” dams. There are currently 84 of such dams around the country, consisting of embankments, made from tailings, piled on top of one another to create a staircase effect and moving the dam upstream. The method is the cheapest and least secure way of building a dam. The national mining agency (ANM) also wants mining companies to remove facilities from risky areas in no more than six months.
