Brazil gov’t earmarks funds to fix roads damaged by rain

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro on his Thursday (Jan. 13) live broadcast on social media announced that BRL 1 billion has been earmarked as extraordinary credit for the repair of highways damaged by the rains in the last few weeks. The amount may be available by next Monday (17), he said.

The total estimated costs for the project were submitted to Infrastructure Minister Tarcísio Freitas, who also spoke during the transmission. “We’ve had a number of dams collapsing, landslides, road blockages, crumbling slopes, bridge works. It’s a lot of work. We have a large number of total or partial blockages, and we’re going to have to restore people’s mobility, ensure safety, and free traffic. This money’s really important,” the minister explained.

Late in December, the government had directed BRL 200 million for the recovery of roads in several states, mostly in Bahia and Minas Gerais, which have reported the largest sections of damaged roads.

In addition to these resources, Bolsonaro said BRL 1.3 billion should be earmarked for the Ministry of Regional Development, also as extraordinary credit. The amount will be used in the reconstruction of public equipment destroyed by the rains across the states. There is also credit “between BRL 700 million and BRL 800 million,” the president said, for farmers who had their crops severely affected by the rains in the Southeast and the producers suffering from the critical drought in the South.