Water Quality Restoration in Rio de Janeiro: From a Piecemeal to a Systems Approach

Abstract

This article discusses the issue of water quality restoration in Guanabara Bay, a much polluted estuary, located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which serves as drainage basin for 11 million people. The theoretical basis for analyzing the problem is the systems approach, and the focus is on devising actions to achieve the modernization of the sanitation sector. In order to restore the bay’s water quality, specific targets measured in terms of the level of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) need to be attained. The Guanabara Bay system contains five components: decision support tools, physical infrastructure, financing, governance, and administration. The article proposes a policy approach that seeks to attend to the environmental concerns associated with the restoration of the bay’s water quality by advocating an effective governance structure able to provide sanitary services to all citizens that will also mitigate the bay’s pollution problems.

Bioprospecção de bactérias com potencial tecnológico para biorremediação de ecossistemas impactados por mercúrio e cromo

“…O ecossistema da Baía de Guanabara, no Rio de Janeiro, Sudeste do Brasil, apesar da grande quantidade e diversidade de poluentes lançados diariamente em suas águas, ainda é considerado bastante relevante e fundamental para a manutenção da flora e fauna no litoral fluminense do Rio de Janeiro. Parte dos poluentes encontrados nele é de origem industrial e, dentre os resíduos industriais de grande impacto ambiental, estão os metais mercúrio e cromo (Lima & Legey 2010).…”

The skin health of fishermen in Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

“…The tributary watershed covers an area of approximately 4,000 km 2 and 35 main rivers enter the sea in GB. These rivers are highly polluted by the raw or partially treated domestic effluents of about 10 million inhabitants and industrial effluents from more than 12,000 industries …”

“…The area with poorest water quality at GB is the channel between the Governor and Fundão Islands and the mainland due to significant release of raw or partially treated effluents from low‐income residential and industrial areas in the north of the city of Rio de Janeiro . In this region, the water quality is like that of partially treated sanitary sewers; thus, problems of odor are also significant …”