en.Wedoany.com Reported - The "2026 Dam Safety Report" (Relatório de Segurança de Barragens 2026, RSB 2026), released by the Brazilian National Water and Basic Sanitation Agency (Agência Nacional de Águas e Saneamento Básico, ANA) in July 2026, shows that a total of 213 dams in Brazil have been classified as priority management structures. Among these, mining tailings dams lead all sectors with 55 dams, accounting for 26% of the total. Minas Gerais state concentrates 18 priority mining dams, nine of which belong to Brazilian mining company Vale S.A..
The report notes that priority management means these structures require focused monitoring by safety authorities, but does not indicate an imminent risk of dam failure. In the dam safety classification system, the 213 dams were designated as priority management due to maintenance issues or non-compliance with legal requirements. The mining sector ranks first with 55 dams (26%), followed by the public water supply sector with 51 dams (24%), and the irrigation sector in third place with 29 dams. The monitored dams are distributed across 19 Brazilian states and the Federal District.
The report also discloses that in 2025, Brazil recorded a total of 18 dam accidents and 23 dam incidents nationwide, none of which resulted in fatalities. The distinction between accidents and incidents lies in the severity of consequences—accidents refer to events that have caused actual damage, while incidents refer to abnormal conditions that could potentially cause damage but have not yet materialized.
Brazil has over 14,000 dams regulated by the National Dam Safety Policy (PNSB). This report is a continuation of the annual monitoring efforts initiated in 2011. As a major mining hub in Brazil, Minas Gerais state experienced two catastrophic tailings dam failures—in Mariana in 2015 and Brumadinho in 2019—which resulted in significant casualties and environmental disasters. The release of this report provides the latest data to support Brazil's dam safety management and risk prevention efforts.
