Water Pollution
Brazil has abundant resources accounting for approximately 12% of the world's available fresh water. Average water availability across the country is high, however the north eastern region has a semi arid climate which includes a large part of the population. Brazil is overall a country rich with many resources; however these resources such as water are misused and wasted.
The three main causes of water pollution in Brazil are the leaking landfills, industrial waste and sewage.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Brazilian cities had adopted a separate system for the sanitary sewers and the storm water runoff. These two systems were gradually interconnected and today low cost solutions are searched to fix this mix up. This is a major threat to the water quality as the water now collects what is coming from the sewage and is brought into the water polluting the water, making it undrinkable and endangering wildlife. It was said that thirty years ago, wild life was blossoming in Rio but today no fish can be found and there is more chance finding a corpse in a river than a living creature. It was said that nearly 70% of Rio's sewage is untreated and dumped into popular beach areas like Copacabana and Guanabara Bay.
One other cause of pollution is ethanol coming from the plantations of sugar cane crop. This production needs a significant amount of water in the agricultural and industrial processing phases and they mostly rely on natural irrigation for water. Even though water availability is not a problem in Brazil, the high demand in the production of sugar made the plantation expand in regions where natural irrigation is simply not enough and must be complemented by artificial water spray. The water pollution is caused by the chemicals used in the production of crops who have been industrialized, the fertilizers, agrochemicals... These chemicals lead to water contamination and the water cannot be used for other purposes.
The disposal of waste takes place in inappropriate landfills. In Europe, landfills are viewed as the last option for waste disposal as they prefer waste-to-energy systems, however, in Brazil, landfills are favored and viewed as efficient ways to dispose of waste. The new solutions have not yet been adopted in Brazil as an incinerator for example is expensive not only to buy but also to operate and maintain in a good condition. Change can only happen with the appropriate financing of the project. Landfills cannot last forever and they eventually fail. They leak into the ground and surface water, ultimately polluting it.
With the Soccer World Cup and the Olympics coming up, cleaning the waters has been become much more of a priority than it already has. However the progress is very slow as low-budget solutions are limited. The government is doing all they can to clean up these waters for tourist and health reasons.
The three main causes of water pollution in Brazil are the leaking landfills, industrial waste and sewage.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Brazilian cities had adopted a separate system for the sanitary sewers and the storm water runoff. These two systems were gradually interconnected and today low cost solutions are searched to fix this mix up. This is a major threat to the water quality as the water now collects what is coming from the sewage and is brought into the water polluting the water, making it undrinkable and endangering wildlife. It was said that thirty years ago, wild life was blossoming in Rio but today no fish can be found and there is more chance finding a corpse in a river than a living creature. It was said that nearly 70% of Rio's sewage is untreated and dumped into popular beach areas like Copacabana and Guanabara Bay.
One other cause of pollution is ethanol coming from the plantations of sugar cane crop. This production needs a significant amount of water in the agricultural and industrial processing phases and they mostly rely on natural irrigation for water. Even though water availability is not a problem in Brazil, the high demand in the production of sugar made the plantation expand in regions where natural irrigation is simply not enough and must be complemented by artificial water spray. The water pollution is caused by the chemicals used in the production of crops who have been industrialized, the fertilizers, agrochemicals... These chemicals lead to water contamination and the water cannot be used for other purposes.
The disposal of waste takes place in inappropriate landfills. In Europe, landfills are viewed as the last option for waste disposal as they prefer waste-to-energy systems, however, in Brazil, landfills are favored and viewed as efficient ways to dispose of waste. The new solutions have not yet been adopted in Brazil as an incinerator for example is expensive not only to buy but also to operate and maintain in a good condition. Change can only happen with the appropriate financing of the project. Landfills cannot last forever and they eventually fail. They leak into the ground and surface water, ultimately polluting it.
With the Soccer World Cup and the Olympics coming up, cleaning the waters has been become much more of a priority than it already has. However the progress is very slow as low-budget solutions are limited. The government is doing all they can to clean up these waters for tourist and health reasons.