The long-awaited start of desilting the Sangan River in the municipalities of Forquillinha and Crisium will be delayed by at least one day. Work was supposed to start this Tuesday (5) but was put on hold due to heavy rain hitting the southern region of Santa Catarina.

In this first stage, postponed due to rains, eight kilometers of the Sangan River will be cleared of silt – Photo: Disclosure/Sangan River Desolation and Restoration Commission / ND

The rain has affected the roads

According to the mayor of Forquilla, José Claudio Gonçalves, the company responsible for the work, Visani Terraplanagem e Construções, is concerned about the condition of the roads after the rains and has therefore decided to postpone the work until Wednesday (6).

The first stage of work includes clearing eight kilometers of silt. However, according to the mayor, a tender for other works will be launched soon. A total of 24 kilometers of work is to be accepted.

“I believe that by March next year it will be ready. It is expected that 12,000 wastes will be removed from the Sangan River,” the mayor details. “These eight kilometers will significantly avoid the problem of flooding in the Sangan area, in Crisium, as well as in New York, Cidade Alta, Linha San José and Ouro Negro, in Forquillinha,” he adds.

“It was a tough fight,” says a local resident.

For many years, the people of the Sangan River area have suffered on rainy days due to the possibility of floods. That is why the Dissolution and Restoration Commission has been working effectively since last year to get the work off the ground and be carried out.

“It has been an uphill struggle for the commission and the public to come together and increase pressure on the executive branch to get the job done. This will be a turning point for those coastal residents who have suffered years of flooding,” says Gustavo Duminelli, President of the Commission for the Drying and Restoration of the Sangan River.

The resident experienced the pain of loss due to the rains. “I have lived through six floods myself and I know what it is like to suffer and lose everything when I lived with my mother. I know it hurts people to leave their homes in waist-deep water and furniture because they have nothing to do,” he says.

In view of the achievement, the president of the commission notes the forecast for the start of work. “We will check and fight for 24 kilometers to mitigate and resolve the whole situation,” he notes. “The silt cleanup will inspire these coastal families to sleep peacefully on rainy days,” Duminelli concludes.

About work on the Sangan River

The complete devastation of the Sangan River is equivalent to 24 kilometers from the Cidade Alta area to the place where the Mae Lusia River flows. The total investment in the work reaches 10 million reais.

“I believe that 24 kilometers cleared of sand will solve the problem of the Sangan River and floods for at least 40 years,” concludes the mayor of Forquiglinha.