{"id":58963,"date":"2020-04-20T10:23:55","date_gmt":"2020-04-20T13:23:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rioonwatch.org\/?p=58963"},"modified":"2020-06-18T09:19:46","modified_gmt":"2020-06-18T12:19:46","slug":"coronavirus-pandemic-exposes-rios-longstanding-water-and-sanitation-issues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=58963","title":{"rendered":"Coronavirus Pandemic Exposes Rio\u2019s Longstanding Water and Sanitation Issues"},"content":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

This is our latest article on the <\/i>new coronavirus as it impacts Rio de Janeiro\u2019s favelas<\/a><\/i> and part of our <\/i>partnership with<\/em> The Rio Times<\/em><\/a>. For the article as published in The Rio Times click here<\/a>.<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n

Long-neglected water and sewerage issues in Brazil’s favelas have gained new attention<\/a> amid the global Covid-19 crisis. In Rio de Janeiro, where over 24% of the city’s inhabitants<\/a> reside in favelas, lack of sufficient sanitation infrastructure and policies have placed residents on<\/span>\u00a0the front line of the pandemic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“We all knew for years that too many people weren\u2019t getting proper access to water,” said Rubens Filho, communications coordinator at the Trata Brasil Institute<\/a>, a civil society public interest group. “Companies knew, journalists knew, politicians knew\u2026 we let the years go by because there was no pandemic.”<\/span><\/p>\n

When a Rio-wide water crisis in January 2020 left residents across the city with murky, fowl-tasting water<\/a>, favela residents were among the worst hit. Activists marched from the mayor’s office to the headquarters of public water utility CEDAE<\/a>, protesting for their constitutional right to potable water, emphasizing that favela populations did not have the means to purchase bottled water. <\/span><\/p>\n

Although these protests gained visibility, many areas continued to report not only poor water quality, but also water scarcity. This held true through the beginning of March, when Rio de Janeiro recorded its first confirmed cases of coronavirus. Now, researchers and residents alike worry that, without proper access to potable water, residents will be unable to follow appropriate prevention methods<\/a>, leading to faster proliferation throughout the city.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201c\u201dN\u00e3o tem \u00e1gua na favela pra lavar a m\u00e3o? COMPRA!\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n

Eu n\u00e3o posso comprar \u00e1gua nem pra beber, mesmo infectada e com gosto de barro. Vou comprar pra lavar a m\u00e3o?<\/p>\n

Ter \u00e1gua na favela pra lavar a m\u00e3o t\u00e1 sendo luxo<\/p>\n

N\u00e3o fazem ideia da nossa realidade!
\n#COVID19NasFavelas<\/a> #coronavirus<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/Vf2zOKMcd7<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Ti\u00ea Vasconcelos (@tievasconcelos) March 16, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n