PRESS RELEASE

Brumadinho Tailings Dam Failure in Brazil

The International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) is following the situation very closely
as information becomes available about the collapse of the mine tailings dam in the
southeastern state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.

ICOLD President Michael F. Rogers made the following statement:

“Our deepest condolences go out to the people of Brazil impacted by this tragedy, especially those
families who have lost loved ones and personal property in this disaster.

It will be important to understand the full cause of this failure so that important lessons may be
shared with other nations and owners to prevent future dam failures.

Dams, including those structures design specifically to hold mine tailings are critical investments in
our social economies for infrastructure and economic businesses. Like other large investments in
infrastructure or business, dams provide essential services and also pose high risks that must be
addressed during the planning, design, construction, operation and closure phases. The
precautionary principle of dams – both those that retain water as well as those that retain mine
tailings – is to provide a safe environment to those who live downstream. This is at the heart of the
ICOLD Mission.

ICOLD has more than 90 years of experience in working with worldwide experts to develop state of
practice guidelines and case histories for lessons learned on the design, construction, operation and
closure of dams. As an example, ICOLD has a draft Bulletin #181 on a technology update on Tailings
Dam Design, which will be released later this year. National governments are urged to consider active
participation in ICOLD to stay abreast of the most current technology of dam engineering, including
the use of up-to-date ICOLD best-practice documents to support dam safety legislation.

As an organization of 100 nations committed to the safety of dams around the world, ICOLD stands
ready to assist and support the project owner and the national dam safety organization in Brazil to
assess the situation and work towards recovery. ICOLD stands ready to collaborate with other
Brazilian and international organizations such as the International Council on Mining and Metals to
review the safety criteria for tailings dams to see if the current failure identifies necessary changes or
updates to our practices, including the need to address the specific upstream construction method
employed at the Brumadinho Tailings Dam.

I believe that safety is a moral obligation of each engineer and scientist that participates in the
planning, design, construction, operation and closure of all dams. This is an obligation by the
absolute trust given by those downstream residents who are at risk imposed by the impoundment of
water or mine tailings.
Again, our heartfelt condolences go out to the thousands of persons downstream of this dam that
have been impacted by this tragedy and ICOLD stands ready to support Brazil in any way possible.”

Contact

Emmanuel Grenier, media manager

emmanuel.grenier@icold-cigb.org
Tel: +33 147 04 17 80

About ICOLD
The International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) was founded in 1928 to provide a forum for
discussion and for the exchange of knowledge and experience in dam engineering for engineers and
others concerned with the development of water resources. Its objectives are to encourage
improvements in dam engineering in all its aspects, and in all phases of the planning, design,
construction and operation of dams and associated works.

With a present total of 100 member countries, ICOLD leads the profession in ensuring that dams are
built and operated safely, efficiently, economically, and with a minimum environmental impact. For
more than 30 years, ICOLD has been particularly concerned to enhance the profession's awareness of
the social and environmental aspects of dams and reservoirs, and to broadening its perspective in
such a way that these aspects receive the same attention and conscientious treatment as the
technical aspects.