Judge Flávio Antônio da Cruz, 11th Federal Court of Curitiba, suspended IBAMA’s environmental licensing and the demolition of Pedra da Palangana, in Paranaguá Bay, which was scheduled to take place last Friday, June 25, and was canceled due to a protest from the communities. The decision is an injunction (provisional, made before the judgment) and is in response to the public-interest civil action of the Federal department of public prosecution and the Paraná state department of public prosecution. The order was published on the morning of the 26th. Demolition consists of an underwater explosion with the objective of increasing the depth of the Galheta channel at the entrance to the Port of Paranaguá to allow the entry of larger ships. The work was contracted by the public company Portos do Paraná at a cost of R$23 million. The plaintiffs in the public-interest civil action claim that the work would require, “at the very least”, an environmental impact study and report, public consultations and hearings, in addition to an anthropological study and the consent of several institutions including FUNAI, IAT, ICMBio, INCRA, IPHAN, the Brazilian Navy, the municipality of Paranaguá, the Ministry of Health’s special secretariat for indigenous health, and SPU (the federal government’s department of property). It would also require consultation with traditional and indigenous communities.
Sources: Correio do Litoral/Datamar News