Before athletes take to the water for the Olympic races, here is a look at the water quality in the Brazilian capital of Rio de Janeiro.
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When the first results of the study were published in March a year ago, it was revealed that the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon – the planned site for the Olympic rowing – contained a whopping 1.73 billion adenoviruses per litre. That was an improvement over the 1.73 billion adenoviruses per liter in March 2015 but would be considered an alarming number in the United States (“Rio waterways still teeming with filth”, Tuesday).
In July 2015, the Associated Press reported that an independent analysis of water quality showed high levels of viruses and bacteria from human sewage in Rio’s Olympic and Paralympic water venues-levels that are up to 1.7 million times what would normally be considered alarming in the USA or Europe.
But with just days left until the Games start, studies have found the waters on which some of the world’s best sailors will compete are contaminated by viruses and drug-resistant superbugs.
The problem didn’t happen overnight.
The Olympics are days away and everything still sounds terrible in Rio.
A 16-month study of conditions found that athletes face “serious health risks” by going into the water. Rio officials are expecting hundreds of thousands of tourists and fans to flood its city, meaning many (especially children) could get sick swimming. After all, the local authorities in Rio have previously tested the water and it’s up to local standards.
“There’s not much we can do about it, other than take precautions and mentally prepare for anything that might come up”.
But WHO said a recently completed sewer now diverts sewage away from the Marina da Glória, which means water quality is now likely to meet its standards.
“We know that if there’s some major weather event, the water quality can deteriorate, but in its normal way, which it is now, we are as happy as can be about the water”, Tanner told a news conference at Lagoa Stadium on Wednesday.
“The water looks attractive”. Mario Moscatelli, a biologist who has flown a helicopter over the area monthly for 20 years stated, “The Guanabara Bay has been transformed into a latrine”.
Viewed from above, Rio’s sewage problem is as starkly visible as on the spreadsheets of the AP analysis: Rivers are tar-black; the lagoons near the Olympic Park bloom with fluorescent green algae that thrives amid sewage; fishermen’s wooden boats sink into thick sludge in the Guanabara Bay; surfers paddle amid a giant brown stain that contrasts with the azure of the surrounding waters.
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That’s the latest advice from the World Health Organization (WHO), which has classed some swimming sites in Guanabara Bay as “poor or very poor”.
