Court gives Viana six months to deactivate clandestine dump The Federal Court ordered the City of Viana, in Baixada Maranhense, to close, within six months, a clandestine dump installed in an area claimed by the Akroá-Gamella indigenous people. The territory is in the process of demarcation. The decision responds to a request from the Federal Public Ministry of Maranhão (MPF-MA) in a public civil action. In addition to deactivating the dump, the municipality must recover the degraded area and regularize the management of solid waste produced in the city. ?Download the g1 app to see MA news in real time and for free The dump operates in the town of Tabareuzinho/Cavacos, within the limits of the Taquaritiua Indigenous Land, according to the MPF. Inspections carried out between 2023 and 2025 by the National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples (Funai), the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) and the State Secretariat for the Environment and Natural Resources of Maranhão (Sema) identified the operation of an open-air garbage dump at the site. During the inspections, domestic and hospital waste was found, such as syringes, serum bottles and other materials used in health services. Inspectors also recorded: irregular burning of garbage; production of untreated leachate; risk of soil and water contamination; presence of flies, vultures and other disease-transmitting animals; lack of environmental licensing. Federal Court orders closure of landfill in area claimed by indigenous people in Viana, in Baixada Maranhense Reproduction/TV Mirante City Hall claimed that landfill was deactivated During the process, the municipality requested the partial extinction of the action and stated that the landfill had been deactivated. According to the city hall, an overflow area started to be used to separate waste. The municipal administration also reported that it signed contracts to transport the waste to a licensed landfill in Rosário, also in Maranhão. When analyzing the case, the Court considered that the interruption of disposal does not eliminate the environmental damage already caused. According to the decision, it is still necessary to remove and treat waste, recover the area and repair the damage caused to the community. The Court also stated that there is sufficient evidence of irregularities and that the delay in adopting measures could worsen the damage. What the Court determined As a matter of urgency, the municipality must stop the disposal and burning of waste at the Tabareuzinho/Cavacos landfill. Within six months, the city hall must: completely deactivate the dump; present the Municipal Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan; present a landfill project or other environmentally appropriate solution provided for in the National Solid Waste Policy. The Court also established a 90-day deadline for regularizing the transshipment area, mainly in relation to the management of hospital waste. In case of non-compliance with the deactivation order, the municipality may pay a daily fine of R$5,000, in addition to being subject to other legal measures.