{"id":81728,"date":"2025-09-22T13:17:25","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T16:17:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=81728"},"modified":"2025-09-23T11:30:58","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T14:30:58","slug":"alto-da-boa-vista-favela-fights-blackfly-infestation-without-public-support-if-other-associations-joined-us-we-could-clean-the-whole-river","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=81728","title":{"rendered":"Rio Favela Fights Blackfly Infestation Without Public Support: \u2018If Other Associations Joined Us… We Could Clean the Whole River\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Community<\/a>
Community organization mobilizes residents to clean up the stream and fight a blackfly infestation, without adequate materials and in the face of public neglect. Photo: Support and Integration Network<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

\"\"This article is part of a\u00a0<\/i><\/i>series<\/a>\u00a0created in partnership with the\u00a0Behner Stiefel Center for Brazilian Studies<\/a>\u00a0at San Diego State University, to produce articles for the\u00a0Digital Brazil Project<\/a>\u00a0on environmental justice in the favelas through RioOnWatch.<\/em><\/p>\n

Clouds of blackflies are part of daily life for residents of the Mata Machado<\/a> favela, in Alto da Boa Vista<\/a>, near Tijuca Forest<\/a> in Rio de Janeiro. To try to contain the proliferation of the insect, which has been negatively affecting their quality of life, residents organize monthly collective actions<\/a> to clean up their stream, while realizing there is also need for government action.<\/p>\n

\"Alto<\/a>
Alto da Boa Vista residents organize monthly collective actions to clean the region’s streams. Photo: Support and Integration Network<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t stay outside chatting. I have a daughter and I can\u2019t play with her during the day. The blackflies are out from the time we wake up until 6pm,\u201d says Cristiano Henrique de Jesus, 38, a resident of the region and coordinator of the Support and Integration Network (RSI)<\/a>, a local group that organizes the actions.<\/p>\n

Blackflies, insects of the Simuliidae<\/em> family, have a short life cycle. The female lives 45 days and can lay up to 2,500 eggs. The combination of forests, streams and waterfalls in Alto da Boa Vista, which have always produced the insect, along with the accumulation of garbage<\/a>, sewage in the waterways, and the improper use of fogging, favors an even greater reproduction of the species.<\/p>\n

Residents who take part in the collective actions have borne the costs of the clean-up, an effort that also benefits wealthy downstream neighborhoods such as Barra da Tijuca<\/a>, Itanhang\u00e1<\/a>\u00a0and Muzema<\/a>, which receive the waters from these tributaries.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe lack materials the city has: baskets, machetes, brooms to scrub the stones, garbage bags,\u201d says de Jesus. With the infestation advancing into other neighborhoods, residents warn that efforts need to be broader and begin at the source\u2014which is difficult with the absence of the State<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe start at the upper part of the hill and work our way down. If other associations joined us in the collective action, they could come from other points, and that way we could clean the whole river.\u201d \u2014 Cristiano Henrique de Jesus<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Even<\/a>
While bearing the costs of the collective action, residents clean the tributaries of Alto da Boa Vista. Photo: Support and Integration Network<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Controlling Blackflies Requires Environmental Balance<\/h3>\n

Due to pollution and chemicals, many of the insect\u2019s natural predators have disappeared, favoring its overpopulation. In October 2024, residents sought guidance from biologist Rosilene Alc\u00e2ntara, a specialist in environmental surveillance and vector control. She warned about the inappropriate use of fogging, common in the region’s private condominiums. \u201cFogging, used as an emergency solution, is not effective. In fact, it worsens the problem,\u201d explains Alc\u00e2ntara.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith fogging, we keep the blackflies away for a while, but kill those that should be helping control them. And then, when the insect returns, it finds an environment with no resistance whatsoever.\u201d \u2014 Rosilene Alc\u00e2ntara<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

According to Alc\u00e2ntara, fogging kills dragonflies, small birds, frogs, and spiders, among others.<\/p>\n

Cleaning the rivers by scrubbing rocks and removing waste is the \u201cmost effective and sustainable method of control,\u201d according to the biologist. She advises that, as a complement, BTi<\/a> (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis<\/em>) can be used\u2014a biolarvicide that acts specifically on blackfly larvae without affecting their natural predators.<\/p>\n

\"Alto<\/a>
Alto da Boa Vista residents are guided by Rosilene Alc\u00e2ntara to clean the region’s rivers to combat the proliferation of blackflies. Photo: Support and Integration Network<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And still, the infestation keeps spreading. The spread of these insects has been reported in S\u00e3o Conrado<\/a>, Rocinha<\/a>, Tijuca<\/a>, Itanhang\u00e1, and even in the Maracan\u00e3<\/a> region\u2014some 11km (~7 miles) away. \u201cThey can fly up to 5km (~3 miles) and may also be carried on clothes, buses, or even backpacks. If ten females travel, that means as many as 25,000 eggs arriving in another neighborhood,\u201d warns the biologist.<\/p>\n

State Support Shows Up Once the Problem Reaches Barra da Tijuca<\/h3>\n

The president of the Mata Machado Residents\u2019 Association<\/a>, Marcos Paulo Costa, 52, says that several requests for government support to combat the insects\u2019 proliferation have been made.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re abandoned by the government. Only now, with the outcry from affluent areas<\/a>, have they begun to offer some support, through [the municipal waste collection utility] Comlurb<\/a>.\u201d \u2014 Marcos Paulo Costa<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He stresses that technical action and training are essential, as well as raising resident awareness about improper waste disposal, which contributes to compounding the problem.<\/p>\n

The Guardians of the River<\/a> project, run by the Municipal Secretariat of Environment and Climate (SMAC<\/a>), was supposed to invest in the preservation of such watercourses. Residents say the initiative was carried out precariously in their community. \u201cAll they gave me was a shirt and pants (with the program logo on them). How am I supposed to go into the river without boots or gloves?\u201d asks Sinara Teixeira, 27, RSI coordinator and organizer of the collective actions.<\/p>\n

\"Residents<\/a>
Residents scrub the stones to remove blackfly eggs that use these surfaces to proliferate. Photo: Support and Integration Network<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In a statement, SMAC said that the program has not had active operations in the region since 2024, even while acknowledging the area\u2019s importance. The Secretariat claims to be considering the possibility of resuming activities in the Mata Machado community. According to residents, however, the program is still purportedly underway in the region\u2014but without the proper equipment for implementation.<\/p>\n

While waiting for effective measures, residents continue to organize collective actions and demand a concrete response from the government. They hope that the Guardians of the River program resumes, this time including protective gear, adequate training, fair remuneration and coordinated actions with other affected regions.<\/p>\n

About the author:\u00a0Karen Fontoura<\/a>\u00a0is a journalism student at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ<\/a>), a resident of\u00a0Rocinha<\/a>, and a reporter for the community newspaper\u00a0Fala Ro\u00e7a<\/a>, where she coordinates the organization\u2019s institutional and project communications. She works with audiovisual production, reporting, and the promotion of community initiatives.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Support\u00a0<\/b>RioOnWatch<\/i><\/b>\u2019s tireless, critical and cutting-edge hyperlocal journalism, online community organizing meetings, and direct support to favelas\u00a0by clicking here<\/a><\/b>.<\/b><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas This article is part of a\u00a0series\u00a0created in partnership with the\u00a0Behner Stiefel Center for Brazilian Studies\u00a0at San Diego State University, to produce articles for the\u00a0Digital Brazil Project\u00a0on environmental justice in the favelas […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":245,"featured_media":81729,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1328,329,452,336],"tags":[490,225,219,484,258,2436,182,3147,165,2585,412,12,2042,1350,489,692,1140],"writer":[3664],"translator":[3452],"illustrator":[],"photographer":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-81728","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-by-community-contributors","8":"category-solutions","9":"category-rio20","10":"category-violations","11":"tag-alto-da-boa-vista","12":"tag-barra-da-tijuca","13":"tag-collective-action","14":"tag-comlurb-waste-collection","15":"tag-community-solution","16":"tag-environmental-justice","17":"tag-government-neglect","18":"tag-itanhanga","19":"tag-maracana","20":"tag-mata-machado","21":"tag-muzema","22":"tag-rocinha","23":"tag-sao-conrado","24":"tag-tijuca","25":"tag-tijuca-forest","26":"tag-trash-collection","27":"tag-waste-management","28":"writer-karen-fontoura","29":"translator-staff"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81728","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/245"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=81728"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81728\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81766,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81728\/revisions\/81766"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/81729"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=81728"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=81728"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=81728"},{"taxonomy":"writer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwriter&post=81728"},{"taxonomy":"translator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftranslator&post=81728"},{"taxonomy":"illustrator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fillustrator&post=81728"},{"taxonomy":"photographer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fphotographer&post=81728"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}