Smithsonian magazine's 22nd Annual Photo Contest | Made possible through the support of MPB.com

18th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest People
Joelma doesn’t know whether her plants are poisonous after the mining dam break

“We feel outraged, helpless“, says Joelma, who cultivates plants on an island in the Rio Doce to feed her family. But this private island is no refuge anymore as the river is poisoned and the community split in the aftermath of the disaster.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 06.2020
Date Uploaded: 11.2020
Photo Location: Ilha Bravy, Governador Valadares, Brazil
Copyright: © Thomas Byczkowski