OLYMPICS-RIO/POLLUTION Eco-boats deployed to clean fetid waters of Olympic sailing venue

Record ID: 148811

  • Title: OLYMPICS-RIO/POLLUTION Eco-boats deployed to clean fetid waters of Olympic sailing venue
  • Date: 1st July 2015
  • Summary: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL (JULY 1, 2015) (REUTERS) ECO-BOAT ON THE WATER IN THE GUANABARA BAY WITH MOUNTAINS SEEN BEHIND ECO-BOAT ON THE WATER VIEW OF THE CITY SKYLINE FROM THE WATER VARIOUS OF THE ECO-BOAT SCOOPING UP RUBBISH FROM THE BAY VARIOUS OF A WORKER ON THE BOAT SCOOPING COLLECTED RUBBISH INTO BIN BAGS MARINE BIOLOGIST, MARIO MOSCATELLI, SPEAKING TO REPORTERS VARIOUS OF MOSCATELLI SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) BRAZILIAN MARINE BIOLOGIST, MARIO MOSCATELLI, SAYING: "In my understanding it (the eco-boats' clean-up) is a high cost for low efficiency. The Guanabara Bay is very large, and no matter how numerous or large the eco-boats are, they will not be able to cover the bay, or the areas where there is a great deal of pollution." VARIOUS OF SAILORS TRAINING ALONG THE GUANABARA BAY
  • Embargoed: 16th July 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Brazil
  • Country: Brazil
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA77YTS15O8W0Z36KL7CEKS6LCS
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Eco-boats recommenced the clean-up of Rio's fetid Guanabara Bay on Wednesday (July 1) after four months out of service and just a month and a half before key Olympic test preparation events for the official sailing events on the bay in next year's Summer Games.
    The state of Rio de Janeiro had originally pledged to reduce pollution in the notoriously polluted Guanabara Bay by 80 percent but officials confirmed in March that the target will not be reached.
    Instead, the officials say they are now concentrating only on parts of the bay where sailing competitions will take place, using eco-boats to scoop up the rubbish.
    The authorities insisted that these areas will be safe for athletes, but fears remain. Brazilian marine biologist, Mario Moscatelli, is particularly sceptical about the deployment of the eco-boats as an effective solution.
    "In my understanding it (the eco-boats' clean-up) is a high cost for low efficiency. The Guanabara Bay is very large, and no matter how numerous or large the eco-boats are, they will not be able to cover the bay, or the areas where there is a great deal of pollution," Moscatelli told Reuters on Wednesday.
    A recognised critic of the clean-up efforts, Moscatelli has no affiliation with the Olympics and is a professor at the University Centre of the City in Rio.
    The president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, said on his last visit to the host city in June that the organisation was still concerned about the cleanliness of the water.
    Rio will host its second test event for sailing competitions at the Marina da Gloria in the Guanabara Bay between August 15 - 22.
    During the last test event a year ago, athletes complained of floating sofas and animal carcasses in the water.
    But floating debris could be the least of the sailors' concerns. Biologists last year said rivers leading into the bay contained a superbacteria that is resistant to antibiotics and can cause urinary, gastrointestinal and pulmonary infections.
    Furthermore, simply being splashed by the water can create damage if contaminated water enters the body, which could put Olympic sailors at serious risk.
    Part of the state's cleanup plan includes treating water from rivers that carry trash and human waste downstream into the bay, but despite millions of dollars of investment over the years, the bay still stinks of sewage.
    The state also said it would expand capacity at sewage treatment plants, but that has not come as quickly as promised, and the so-called eco-barriers, designed to trap floating debris, have also come up short.
    On parts of the bay not kept up by city trash collectors, rubbish almost completely covers the neglected beaches.
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