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How is Rio de Janeiro working to clean up polluted water streams?

by | 11-03-2016 12:01 recommendations 0

How is Rio de Janeiro working to clean up polluted water streams?


As you may already know, Rio de Janeiro is the next Olympic city, and some of the aquatic modalities will be held in water streams across the city. You may think that this is the perfect scenario, right? The problem is that the main streams in Rio are extremely polluted. The result of intense years of garbage and sewage disposal.


In 2010, Rio announced a few plans to change that reality and remediate the main water streams in the city. Near where I live, in the west part of the city, is located the Jacarepagua bay. This bay will not held any games, but Jacarepagua bay is the main view from where most of the games will take place. The bay is connected to some rivers in the region, and one of them is the river Arroio Fundo. Arroio Fundo crosses the famous Favela Cidade de Deus. Passing through Cidade de Deus, the river is stocked with sewage and garbage that goes in majority to Jacarepagua bay. This is the consequence of the extremely poor public sanitation system, another huge problem around here.

Aiming to keep up with the promise made in 2010, the Rio de Janeiro?s government created the UTR (Treatment stations). The UTR Arroio Fundo cleans up the water that goes from Arroio Fundo River to the Jacarepagua bay.  According to the environment secretary, the UTR Arroio Fundo treats 1800 liters of water per second. The government also began draining the bay, and  planting native mangrove seedlings, aiming to help in the recovery of the ecosystem.


Today, only a few weeks from the games, the Jaquarepagua bay is not 100% clean, but it is making some improvements. I believe that the remediation of aquatic environments in the city is without any doubt the greatest legacy of the games. There is still a lot to do, but following the example of Jacarepagua bay, other environments, such as Guanabara Bay, can be decontaminated.


If you want to know more about the environmental projects for the Olympic games, I recommend this website: http://www.cidadeolimpica.com.br/projetos/
 

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3 Comments

  • says :
    Hi Marcus! Thanks for writing this interesting story! Maybe there can be a possibility that the locals might realize the value of clean river and will demand the government for better treatment after the Olympics? As sometimes top-down process brings about change from the bottom side as well. I will be expecting to see cleaner view during and after the Olympics!
    Posted 12-03-2016 00:59

  • Arushi Madan says :
    Glad to know about Rio de Janeiro's efforts in cleaning the polluted streams and greening the environment by planting mangroves trees and installing UTR. Olympics is going to shed all limelight on Rio de Janeiro. I am sure that Rio de Janeiro will be able to impress the whole world with it's spectacular show in the venues and beauty and greenery outside the venues too. All the best. Keep it up.
    Posted 11-03-2016 21:03

  • says :
    Marcus, thanks for sharing us about water purification project done in Rio de Janeiro. The world is focusing on the Olympics, and if the project succeeds, I believe more people will be able to keep attention on the beautiful views of Jacarepagua bay. Keep up the good work, and when the bay becomes crystal clear, please take some beautiful pictures for us and post at your article :-)
    Posted 11-03-2016 20:42

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