The Tiete River is one of the major rivers in Brazil, in the state of Sao Paulo. It flows from Salesopolis, located at a height of 1,119m above the sea level and drains into a region of six sub-basins. The river has contributed greatly towards the enrichment of the region as the basin region is regarded as one of the richest areas in the entire country (Dinar 2011). Despite its importance in the economic growth of the city, pollution that started some few years ago has been a major issue affecting the river. In the 1960s and 70s, one could find fish and other aquatic animals in the river and was clean and fit for human consumption. However, there has been increasing pollution of this river over the years.
Environmental degradation of the river first began when the Guarapiranga Reservoir was constructed in the early 1920s. This reservoir was aimed at generating hydroelectric energy in the state. Although the direct impact of this construction was not visible, it interfered with the water flow and the stratification of the bedrock on the riverbank. Its impact was not felt then and a lot of leisure activities such as sports and fishing were commonly undertaken in the reservoir. From the 1950s, industrial pollution started becoming evident, leading to the river’s gradual degradation. As the region experienced economic boom, many companies and businesses were opened in close proximity to the river basin (Unep, 2013). Over time, these companies started emitting and directing their waste effluents into the river. These effluents also had many chemicals that were harmful to the animals living in the river.
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In addition to the industrial pollution, the local communities around also released their household wastes and debris into the river. At this time, the economic growth led to hastened industrialization, leading to a population increase at an alarming rate. The population growth was estimated stretch from two million inhabitants to at least six million people in a span of 30 years. The park where the source of the river is claimed to be is currently under control of the state municipality. Initially, when the park was still privately owned, a lot of environmental pollution and degradation occurred. The local communities destroyed the park’s flora and fauna and a lot of deforestation occurred(Dinar 2011). The local communities who had access to the park were the primary cause of pollution of the park and the river basin. This is because the communities wanted to use the water domestically.
A hydroelectric power station has also been constructed along the river to generate electricity for the local communities. The park is now open to the public for visits, which usually end up with a lot of pollution through garbage and rubbish left behind. Additionally, toxic wastes from the urban areas usually end up in the river such as dust, food wastes, smoke and sewage. This exacerbates the already deplorable condition. Life in the river has been dwindling as fish and other water life die because of pollution (Unep, 2013). Additionally, the water has becoming unfit for human consumption and a health hazard. The chemicals make it harmful to crops due to the burning effect of the acid. This leads to lower food production.
Despite efforts to curb the pollution, many factors made the efforts more strenuous and less effective. Between 1960 and 1970, the government did not show any political will to sufficiently deal with the situation. More emphasis was laid on the usage of the river for leisure activities such as sporting activities and picnics. There was also lack of adequate knowledge on the causes and impacts of pollution, which was attributed to poor education and dissemination of information by the responsible authorities and parties. However, from 1980 there have been considerable efforts by the government to salvage the situation. Unrelenting media campaigns through radio stations such as Radio Eldorado played a key role in not only informing the public about the dire situation but also in pushing the regime to do more in dealing with the situation. Non-governmental organizations such as the United Pro-Tiete Nucleus mobilized the public in demanding action from the government (Dinar 2011). More than one million signatures were collected to show the citizens’ solidarity in demanding for action. This led the regime to undertake a series of measures.
Sabest, a sanitization company was tasked with the responsibility of cleaning up the river. 16 years later, there has been considerable progress. Many of the industries that were responsible for the pollution also stopped releasing their effluents into the river. The government has also tried decentralizing efforts by assigning different responsibilities to different firms to help in cleaning up the river. More than $ 1B has been spent in cleaning up the river by the government. Several policies that control the release of toxic chemicals into the river by factories and industries have been enacted. The communities living along the river basin have also been asked to be responsible and not dump waste materials that may pollute the water.
- Dinar, A., William, K & Karin. E. (2011). Integrated River Basin Management through Decentralization. Indianapolis: Springer.
- Unep. Environmental Pollution and Impacts on Public Health. Accessed November 30th, 2013. http://www.unep.org
