The Municipal Secretariat of Environment of Itacoatiara (Semma), located in Amazonas, recorded an amount of R$ 709,940 in fines applied during inspection operations against environmental crimes in the municipality. According to a report released this Friday (23), 13 people were fined for violations related to deforestation, burning, and charcoal production activity.
Of this total amount, R$ 464,220 was allocated to penalties for deforestation and burning, while another R$ 245,720 refers to infractions involving deforestation and charcoal manufacturing. Semma added that there are additional fines of R$ 15 thousand each that are still being added to the final calculation, and that inspection actions continue in both urban and rural areas of Itacoatiara.
The individuals who were cited are being sent to the Civil Police to carry out the relevant legal procedures.
Operation against charcoal kilns
During inspections, an operation was conducted on sections of the AM-010 highway, which resulted in the discovery of kilns used in charcoal production, as well as areas that had been deforested and burned. In total, 20 charcoal kilns were destroyed as a result of this operation, which was requested by the Public Prosecutor's Office.
In one of the inspected locations, there is suspicion that the fire originated in one of the kilns and subsequently spread to the surrounding vegetation. The landowners were duly notified and are subject to receiving fines, according to inspection information.
Fires remain active
Itacoatiara is facing forest fires in various points of its rural area. To monitor these events, FIRMS (Fire Information for Resource Management System), a NASA system that monitors heat spots through satellite imagery, is used.
One of the fire spots is located in the Rio Urubu region and, according to collected data, this fire has persisted for 54 days, having consumed more than 4 thousand hectares of vegetation. Furthermore, the flames have advanced over part of the Paraná do Arauató Indigenous Land, territory belonging to the Mura people. Combat teams work both in the field and with air support, although access to certain locations is hindered by the vegetation and the location of the hotspots themselves.
The smoke generated by the burns has also reached the urban area of Itacoatiara, negatively impacting air quality in the municipality. The population has the option to report burning incidents by calling (92) 99224-7225, a service provided by the Municipal Secretariat of Environment of Itacoatiara (Semma).