At Minas mines, severe rain has brought dam failure fears

The severe rains which battered the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais over the New Year period left 24 people dead, 45,000 displaced, and 6,600 homeless, putting 377 municipalities under a state of emergency. And, it recalled the ghost of tragedies past, particularly with relation to the numerous tailings dams dotted around the state, owned by mining companies.

Indeed, the rains hit a part of Minas Gerais which is home to the three dams with the highest risk of collapse in all of Brazil. Over the last seven years, dam failures in Mariana and Brumadinho led to environmental and human catastrophes, both of which were located in the southeastern state.

The most recent scare came on January 8, when a dam at the Pau Branco mine — owned by French company Vallourec — burst...