Sunday 29 August 2010 shall be a day that shall go down in the history of Bahian football and architecture. This is the date that has been informed by the Government of the State of Bahia and also by the Arena Salvador 2014 Consortium, comprising companies OAS and Odebrecht, for the expected implosion of the Octávio Mangabeira Stadium, better known as the Fonte Nova. Different from the golden days of yore, with exciting football matches and a packed stadium, this shall be a day of farewells.
Once the detonators are turned on, it shall be only a matter of 20 seconds for the former Fonte Nova to no longer exist. On the same site, there shall be the construction of a modern sports arena, complying the FIFA requirements, to receive the games of the Confederations Cup in 2013 and then the World Cup in 2014.
For the date of this implosion to be confirmed, the consortium needs to receive a permit from the Municipal Superintendence of Soil Control (Sucom) and also clearance from the Municipal Secretariat for the Environment (SMA), from the Institute for the National Artistic and Historical Heritage (Iphan) and also from the Army. “All the documentation was handed over within the time frame as requested by the organizations involved. We are just waiting for clearance”, said Carlos Vilas Boas, the Production Manager of the Consortium.
This morning (28th) the workers started to prepare the pillars for the placing of the explosives, and also commenced work on the retainment features in the area around the stadium, seeking to keep them after the implosion has gone ahead. The companies responsible for this operation are Arcoenge Engenharia and Controlled Demolition Inc. (CDI).
Security comes first
Representatives of the Civil Defence Department of Salvador (Codesal), Transalvador, the Fire Brigade, the Military Police, the Municipal Guard, Salvamar and Sucom, as well as other representatives of the Government, had a meeting last Friday (23rd) with the representatives from the company responsible for this assignment, to discuss the operation.
The subsecretary of Codesal, Osny Bonfim, affirmed that the organization has approved the procedures almost entirely. “They have very good know-how. We have just had to make some minor suggestions that were accepted. Everything must be well controlled”, Mr. Bonfim said.
Security comes first: this was the point that was praised by the Lieutenant Colonel of the Military Police, Júlio Pinheiro. “The explanation was very clear. What was presented shows the concern by the consortium, especially from the standpoint of service and also the security of the local residents who shall need to vacate their homes on the day of the implosion”, he declared.
Apart from the technical preparation of the structures, instructions are also being given to the people who live around the stadium. Two meetings have already been held with the local residents. Not everyone shall be required to leave their homes during the demolition, but only the people who live closest to the work site.
The City Hall shall be responsible for the evacuation of the area. Because of security issues, some 2.5 thousand people shall be required to leave their homes, within a radius of 250 metres around the stadium. This geographical limitation includes 962 houses in the districts of Brotas, Joana Angélica and Jardim Baiano.
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12/01 | News
