The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) transported, this weekend, about 4 tons of food to be distributed to a community in the Yanomami Indigenous Land, in Roraima. The federal government’s action is an emergency response to the health crisis that led the Ministry of Health to declare, last Friday (20), a Public Health Emergency of National Importance, which allows the Executive Branch to adopt, as a matter of urgency, , measures of “prevention, control and containment of risks, damages and harms to public health”. According to the Air Force, on Saturday (21), the day that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva visited Boa Vista, the capital of Roraima, the equivalent of 1.26 tons of food was transported to be distributed to the Kataroa community, in region known as Surucucu. On Sunday (22), there were another 2.50 tons. According to the Ministry of Health, the supplies are part of the approximately 5,000 basic baskets that were stored at the headquarters of the regional coordination of the National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples (Funai), in Boa Vista. Of the total already available, 4,000 baskets will be destined for the Yanomami Indigenous Land and 1,000 will go to other communities. In addition, the federal government announced the delivery of 200 cans of food supplements for children of different ages. The Minister of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight against Hunger, Wellington Dias, informed that the 5 thousand basic food baskets were acquired through a partnership with the Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services, Funai, Ministry of Indigenous Peoples, Ministry of Health and Armed Forces and transported from Amapá in FAB aircraft. FAB aircraft took more than 2.5 tons of food to the Yanomami Indigenous Land – Twitter Brazilian Air Force As the Surucucu airport is under construction, the first food baskets had to be transported aboard military aircraft – a medium transport size, the C 98 Caravan, and an H-60L Black Hawk utility helicopter – which take about two hours to cover the distance between Boa Vista and Surucucu. In a note released on Saturday, the Ministry of Health estimated that, under these conditions, around 50 flights will be needed to take food to the indigenous land and, on the way back, transport the Yanomami who need to receive medical attention in the capital. On Sunday (22), 21 Indians were taken to Boa Vista. According to the federal government, more than 30,400 indigenous people live in the area that the Union allocates for the exclusive use of the Yanomami. Motivated by accusations that the illegal activity of miners is contaminating the rivers that supply the local communities, destroying the forest and affecting the survival conditions of the populations, the federal government sent to the Yanomami Indigenous Land, at the beginning of last week, technicians from the Ministry of Health who found malnourished children and elderly people, many weighing less than the recommended minimum. There were also people with malaria, acute respiratory infections and other illnesses, without receiving any kind of medical assistance.
Agência Brasil
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