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Cleaning Up the Tiete

Cleaning Up the Tiete

posted on November 13, 2012

 
(Source)

The Tietê River cuts through most of the state of São Paulo. It’s name in Tupi means “true waters”, but before it first appeared on a map in the mid-18th century, it was known by Amerindians as Anhembi (after a South American partridge). The river itself is said to be ten to fifteen million years old and has been used in the past by Amerindians, Bandeirantes (slave-hunters, and later miners, of the 16th-18th centuries), and clergymen. Historically, the Tietê has been used and abused more than it has been merely traversed.

During the 18th century, it was used for mining exploration and sugar production, with the color of the water being altered and the margins of the river being deforested. By the early 20th century, a large number of enterprises were regularly tossing their waste into the part of the river around São Paulo’s capital until it reached its current state. Today, it’s known for its bad smell, sewage, and flies but if the São Paulo’s current governor has his way, by 2015 the Tietê will be nice-smelling enough to offer boat tours to tourists. The near-century of waste-dumping caused the river to lose all its oxygen, though oxidation would be a later step in the process.

Cleaning up the Tietê isn’t a novel idea, as the government, together with many civil organizations, have been working on the Project Tietê since the early 1990s. The governor who initially got the ball rolling, Luiz Antônio Fleury Filho, said by the end of his mandate in 1995, you’d be able to drink a cup of water straight from the Tietê. His estimate was a few decades off, unfortunately. The project, currently in its third phase, spans over 500 public works (only half of the total for this phase). The cost from the start of the third phase in 2009 until now? A cool US$1.8 billion.


(The past is the future?)

I’ve argued before on my blog that the more touristic “calling cards” that São Paulo gets, the better off it will be. Most foreigners passing through the city only find out about the basics, such as the city’s size and perhaps the fact that it offers a lot in terms of nightlife and gastronomy. There’s definitely more to the city but the current attractions are smaller in size and tend to be relegated to the realm of the insider, or rather, the Paulistano.

As for if the current governor will have his way, I can say this: his party has been in control of São Paulo politics for the past 17 years (not to mention all the past presidents have hailed from São Paulo for the past 20 years straight). Here’s to hoping the World Cup and Olympics are a true cause for change.

—————-

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About Adam Lee

Adam is a writer and a researcher who has studied Brazilian culture for over a decade and created several Brazil-themed blogs going back to 2008. Having taught himself Portuguese, he put it to practical use by spending three years doing Brazil on a budget (and living in favelas), from Rio de Janeiro to the Amazon.

He now resides in Lisbon, Portugal, developing a startup and dreaming about having a beachside B&B in the Northeast of Brazil.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. alugar para temporada

    January 3, 2017 at 4:23 pm

    Parabéns pela postagem, irei recomendar para nossa redação fazer uma matéria sobre seu site.

    Reply
    • Luciana Lage

      January 3, 2017 at 4:26 pm

      Obrigada!

      Reply
  2. Adriano Santos

    January 22, 2016 at 11:48 am

    Que bom que vão fazer limpeza no Rio tiete.

    Adriano Santos, Apaixonado por tecnologia e profissional na área de Adesivos de Parede, São Paulo – SP

    Reply
  3. allyson

    November 22, 2012 at 2:46 am

    Ujjain Temples
    The Mahakaleshwar temple at Ujjain is One of the 12 Jyotirlingas in
    India, the lingam at the Mahakal is believed to be swayambhu (born of
    itself), deriving currents of power (Shakti) from within itself as
    against the other images and lingams which are ritually established
    and invested with mantra-shakti.

    Reply

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