Who Is Polluting Rio’s Bay? - The New York Times

 

"After a serpentine mile, still narrow enough to be crossed with a leap, it enters the upper reaches of Greater Rio’s dense and jumbled sprawl, seas of brick and concrete, neighborhoods in conflicting states of decay and construction.

Over 20 miles, widening as it goes, the Rio Sarapuí fills with water from tributaries and with the untreated waste and unwanted garbage of millions who live along its path.

A major part of Rio’s winning Olympic bid was a plan to capture and treat 80 percent of the sewage that flows into Guanabara Bay, something organizers now admit will not happen — certainly not by August, if ever. For the past couple of years, sailors in training for the Olympics have reported putrid conditions and floating debris, their stories and shocking pictures drawing worldwide attention to the tainted water. Some have unsuccessfully called for the relocation or postponement of sailing and other open-water events, such as kayaking, triathlon and marathon swimming.

But Olympic athletes and international visitors will come and go. Remaining will be roughly nine million people who live in the watershed of Guanabara Bay. About half of them are not hooked up to sanitation systems. "

read article by John Branch and see the photos & videos 

Who Is Polluting Rio’s Bay? - The New York Times