The government of São Paulo announced this Wednesday (24) that it will reduce interest rates for fishermen who were affected by the irregular disposal of waste in the Piracicaba River, which caused the death of thousands of fish in the region. The objective of the measure is to support families who have the river as their main source of income.
The São Paulo Department of Agriculture and Supply reported that the reduction in the annual interest rate of the credit line of the São Paulo Agribusiness Expansion Fund (Feap) was from 5% to 3% and that, to have access to this special rate, fishermen must contact the Agriculture House in their municipality.
According to an initial survey carried out by the Environmental Company of the State of São Paulo (Cetesb), more than 30 families depend on the river for their livelihood.
Historic
The altered odor of the Piracicaba River and the death of fish were noticed on July 7. The following day, the Environmental Company of the State of São Paulo (Cetesb) identified that the source of pollution that caused the death of at least three tons of fish in the Piracicaba River, in the city of Piracicaba, was the São José Plant, installed in the neighboring municipality of Rio das Pedras (SP).
Last Friday (19), Cetesb completed laboratory tests of the samples that were collected from the Piracicaba River. And decided to apply a fine of R$ 18 million to Usina São José for the spillage of sugarcane residues with a high organic load, which reduced the oxygenation level of the water – reaching zero – and made aquatic life unviable. The substance was dragged from the Ribeirão Tijuco Preto to the Piracicaba River, reaching the Tanquã Environmental Protection Area.
According to Cetesb, this incident resulted in the death of 235 thousand fish specimens, “in conservative estimates”, both in the urban region of the city of Piracicaba, which occurred on July 7, and in the Tanquã Environmental Protection Area, on July 15.
Shortly after the results of the samples and the application of the fine by CETESB, Usina São José released a statement saying that it was evaluating the content of the decision and its consequences. “To date, the company has not received evidence that demonstrates a causal link between its operations and the fish deaths recorded along the Piracicaba River and in Tanquã,” the plant wrote.
According to the São Paulo government, a third fish kill was recorded in the river last Monday (22). According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP-SP) and Cetesb, which are investigating the case, this occurrence is not related to the death recorded in Tanquã. This time, the dead animals were found in the section near the Fishermen’s Ramp on Avenida Beira Rio, in Piracicaba.
