Cracks in São Marcos Dam Trigger Evacuations as Repairs Begin

Overview

• Intensified checks after heavy rain found fissures with active leakage in the Barragem Arroio São Luiz, prompting Corsan Aegea to activate its Emergency Action Plan and notify civil-defense authorities.
• A Cell Broadcast alert urged residents to prepare for evacuation and roughly 170 people from about 60 buildings were moved to safe locations, with a school closed and one road blocked as a precaution.
• Operators opened the bottom discharge and installed pumps to speed water removal, cutting the reservoir level by nearly one meter and lowering pressure on the damaged spillway and contraforte.
• Specialist engineers were contracted to produce a detailed diagnostic due on Sept. 25, and divers and repair teams have begun filling fissures with sealing material while continuous monitoring continues.
• Authorities say the alert is limited to properties adjacent to the dam and the margins of the Rio Jaguari, but the reservoir supplies São Marcos so officials are tracking possible impacts on local water service and will keep residents informed.