TheenvironmentalliabilityinMaré

If in the early 20th century the region of Maré was full of beaches, islands, and lush nature that sheltered fishing villages on the shore of Guanabara Bay, the occupation of the territory in the following decades brought an enormous environmental liability to the whole city, one that falls most heavily on the residents of Maré themselves.

Image description: This is a black-and-white engraving. The scene depicts a busy port with several vessels. On the left side, we see large ships with tall masts and open sails, sailing toward the coast. In the center, there are smaller boats carrying goods. On the right, on the riverbank, people are unloading items from smaller boats. In the background, we see old buildings, possibly a city, with towers and domes. The sun is high in the sky, illuminating the scene.

Environmental inequality reveals its cruelest face here: it was in this area that facilities important to the city were installed, but without any compensation to residents. Near Maré, on the other side of Avenida Brasil, the Manguinhos Refinery was inaugurated in 1954. At the time, it was estimated that it would be responsible for supplying 90% of the fuel used in the city of Rio. For decades, the refinery emitted pollutants that affect the health of hundreds of thousands of residents, directly impacting not only the territory of Maré, but also that of another large favela complex in the city: Manguinhos.

Image description: This is a black and white photograph of an industrial area. On the left side, there is an electricity pole with taut wires. In the center, there are industrial structures with tall pipes and a tower. In the foreground, there is an open structure with several columns and a large tree. In the background, there are mountains covered with vegetation. The image is taken from a slightly low angle, with the horizon formed by the mountains.

In the words of Rosália Maria de Oliveira, a Fiocruz researcher: "For decades, the situation has been dangerous. For many years, the site has been a ticking time bomb. This was caused by the refinery's obsolescence. Given the amount of compounds handled, a company of this size should never have been located within a densely populated urban area." ("Pesquisa analisa região da Refinaria de Manguinhos". INFORME ENSP. Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sergio Arouca. 02/25/2013).

Image description: This is a black-and-white engraving. The scene shows a large ship with sails unfurled sailing on a river. On the left, on the riverbank, there are nude human figures holding bows and arrows, appearing to be in a defensive position. In the center, a group of men is in a canoe, interacting with the inhabitants on the bank. On the right, other men are in another canoe, also nude, and one of them is close to the ship. Everyone appears to be involved in an exchange or confrontation.

In addition to the refinery, there is a sewage treatment plant, the Alegria plant, opened in 2009. However, according to the Carta de Saneamento da Maré – 2020, produced by Data-Labe, Redes da Maré and Casa Fluminense:

As obras por saneamento básico não acompanharam o crescimento da região. Ainda que em algumas comunidades as casas estejam conectadas à rede de esgoto, essas redes não estão conectadas aos troncos coletores cuja função é conectar as redes e as estações de tratamento, com isso o esgoto é canalizado para os valões (rios extremamente poluídos por esgoto e lixo) que seguem sendo despejados na Baía de Guanabara. A realidade na maior parte das comunidades é a canalização do esgoto das casas nas galerias de água pluvial (drenagem superficial, água da chuva, lavagem das ruas), contaminando as águas das galerias subterrâneas que também fluem para a Baía. Muitas ruas possuem esgoto correndo a céu aberto.