In Waters Around Rio's Olympic Park, Fecal Coliform At 195X US Gov's Safe Limit
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Rio de Janeiro's endless beaches and lush tropical forest will be a photographer's dream during the 2016 Olympics. But zoom in on the likes of once-pristine Guanabara Bay, and the picture is of household trash and raw sewage.
In the neon green waters around the site of the future Olympic Park, the average fecal pollution rate is 78 times that of the Brazilian government's "satisfactory" limit — and 195 times the level considered safe in the U.S. Nearly 70 percent of Rio's sewage goes untreated, meaning runoff from its many slums and poor neighborhoods drain into waters soon to host some of the world's best athletes.
Unless Brazil makes headway in cleaning up its waters, experts warn the Summer Games could pose health risks to athletes and mar what officials hope will be their global showcase event. Instead of the soaring vistas of Sugarloaf Mountain, the world could instead see old couches in the bay and tons of dead fish floating atop a city lake. Rio's Olympic committee has pledged in writing that the pollution problems will be fixed, and many had hoped the Olympics would force authorities to tackle decades of neglect and poor planning that have blighted waterways.
Leonardo Gryner, chief operating officer of Rio's organizing committee, has acknowledged the extent of the water quality problem. But he said projects were "well advanced" to make good on the city's commitment to reduce 80 percent of the pollution flowing into the bay, where sailing and wind surfing events are to be held. With just 2 ½ years to go before the games, however, experts say cleanup efforts are moving at a snail's pace and haven't significantly improved capacity in sewage treatment plants or hooked up more of the city's 6 million residents.
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