São Vicente: Buried in Mud, Betrayed by Indifference

 At dawn on August 11, São Vicente experienced one of the most devastating episodes in its recent history. Torrential rains swept away houses, buried vehicles, and destroyed fragile infrastructure, leaving behind a trail of mud, open sewers, and thousands of lives deeply affected. Three weeks later, the landscape remains unchanged: impassable streets, gaping craters, exposed sewage and water pipes, and a nauseating stench that spreads across the city—a daily reminder of the island’s vulnerability.

In the meantime, the Prime Minister and the President of the Republic swiftly traveled to São Vicente, declaring their solidarity and announcing international funds—among them those provided by the World Bank—to support reconstruction. Yet, three weeks on, apart from community mobilization and solidarity from other islands (such as Sal and Santo Antão), little to nothing concrete has been accomplished. The contrast between the solemn announcement and the absence of tangible results raises inevitable questions.

The question of funds and transparency

It is imperative to ask: Where are the announced funds? In which projects have they been invested? What is the timeline for their implementation?

It is not enough to announce the availability of resources: a reconstruction plan for the island must be made public, detailing the projects to be undertaken, the amounts allocated, and a strict timetable for implementation. Without such public information, there can be no transparency and no accountability from the institutions.

International literature is unequivocal on the subject: in disaster contexts, transparency and accountability are indispensable conditions to prevent resource capture and to ensure an effective response (Transparency International, 2020; World Bank, 2019).

Structural vulnerability and absence of planning

The damage is not due solely to the intensity of the rains—a phenomenon increasingly frequent due to climate change (IPCC, 2023). It stems above all from the absence of effective urban planning and the systematic neglect in building protective infrastructure: entire neighbourhoods without retaining walls, dirt roads without drainage, fragile water and sewage systems exposed to each storm.

The United Nations Report on Resilient Cities (UNDRR, 2022) emphasizes that prevention costs less than reconstruction. Yet, in São Vicente, investment in preventive measures has been indefinitely postponed, perpetuating a cycle of vulnerability that the August rains only brought into brutal focus.

Historical discrimination: the other storm

None of this can be analyzed in isolation. Since independence in 1975, São Vicente has been the victim of structural discrimination within the national context. Systematic delays in investment in basic infrastructure, the concentration of political and economic decisions in the capital, and the abandonment of strategic projects for the island all fuel a widely shared perception: that São Vicente lives under a new form of internal colonization.

This perception is not mere rhetoric. It suffices to walk through the destroyed streets, see the collapsed houses, or listen to shopkeepers who, for decades, have demanded the most basic conditions for competitiveness. Discrimination is not a discourse—it is daily, material, and humiliating.

The role of the State and civil society

The remarkable effort of the local population cannot be ignored: neighbours cleaning streets, volunteers removing mud, associations organizing donations. But as precious as this popular solidarity is, it cannot be a substitute for State action. Responsibility for urban safety, infrastructure construction—including retaining walls—and the modernization of sanitation networks lies with public institutions, both municipal and national.

By contrast, the institutional response has been marked by slowness, silence, and lack of transparency. Without a clear plan—published and accessible to all—public trust in the authorities will continue to erode.

From promises to action

São Vicente cannot continue to live off promises. It is urgent to transform announcements into concrete action, through the publication of a detailed and transparent reconstruction plan, including funding sources, allocated amounts, and timelines. Otherwise, the next torrential rains will not just be another foreseeable tragedy: they will be the definitive proof of the failure of a governance model that privileges rhetoric and empty commitments over the real lives of its citizens.

Ultimately, this is not only about repairing streets or buildings. It is about restoring trust in a fundamental relationship: that between the people and their institutions. A trust that, in São Vicente, has been systematically betrayed since 1975.

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