Praça da Bandeira, located at the mouth of the Maracanã River, in the Zona Norte, and the neighborhoods of the West Zone, such as Guaratiba, are clear examples of how flooding in Rio de Janeiro repeats itself over the years, affecting vulnerable areas in a similar way. In Praça da Bandeira, the proximity of the Maracanã River and the low elevation of the terrain contribute to recurring flooding in the surrounding streets whenever heavy rains occur. In Guaratiba, in the West Zone, the situation is equally worrying. The region, marked by natural drainage areas and by occupation of floodplain land, suffers from flooding during periods of heavy rain. The absence of an effective drainage system, combined with the city's disorderly growth, makes these areas vulnerable, with residents facing the same problems every rainy season. This pattern of flooding in both regions illustrates how the city repeats the pattern of occupation ever since it came to be understood as a commodity for real estate speculation rather than a place to live.
Yes, we are indeed building new “Praças da Bandeira” toward the City's expansion area. We might even consider that at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, it was not known, or there was no way of foreseeing, that the city would grow the way it did — but to repeat the same occupation pattern at the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st? That is either stupidity or cynicism. We already know that hillsides slide and lowlands flood in areas of mountainous massifs surrounded by lowlands under a tropical climate. Therefore, knowing how to occupy such an urban site is essential. Pretending not to know this, and that we are victims of climate conditions, is analogous to claiming that a Japanese person doesn't know there will be earthquakes in their cities, or an Icelander doesn't know that volcanic eruptions will occur, or a Swiss person being surprised by an alpine snow avalanche. Cynicism and disguised profit. A city that generates problems is also a city that generates big contracts for public works.
Image description: This is an aerial photograph of a coastal area with a city beside a river and mangroves. On the left side, we see a densely populated city with houses and buildings. In the center, there is a stretch of land with green vegetation and areas of brackish water. On the right, the river cuts across the image, its blue waters showing clear reflections. In the background, a mountain range covered with forest completes the scene. The sky is clear with a few scattered clouds.Mouth of the Piraquê River – Cabuçu, in the neighborhood of Pedra de Guaratiba. On one side, the apicum (a formation that is part of mangrove environments – tidal flats) preserved within the Guaratiba Biological Reserve (REBIO – ICMBio), and on the other, the same environment being urbanized. It doesn't take much elaboration to understand the flooding dynamics present in these neighborhoods. The elevations in the background belong to the Maciço da Pedra Branca, and further still, fading into the last plane, the silhouette of the Maciço da Tijuca.
The occupation, ordered by capital, of hillsides and lowland areas in Rio de Janeiro has been a chronic problem, with catastrophic consequences that have already been widely announced over the decades. Growth, especially on hillside slopes and in lowland regions toward the West, such as in greater Jacarepaguá, Vargens, Guaratiba, and Santa Cruz, foretells the next catastrophes. It is not a matter of "whether" some tragedy will occur, but rather "when." In these locations, the construction of risk areas, without proper planning and with precarious infrastructure, results in landslides and flooding, which repeat themselves in a kind of vicious cycle. The lack of efficient drainage, soil sealing, and construction in areas prone to disaster remain the hallmark of this scenario. Accelerated expansion, driven by the growing pressure of occupation, brings about changes to the terrain and landfill over swamps and flood-prone areas to make construction feasible. This constant expansion creates a real trap for residents, who are increasingly exposed to landslide and flooding events. Urbanization in these areas, rather than being progress, has proven to be a setback, creating conditions for disasters that have been foretold, and whose predictions experts on the subject keep making. And once again, this pattern is not disorderly, as the press insists on labeling it. It is, in fact, ordered and very conscious of its process.
The new "flood squares" can already be seen in the new condominiums of Vargem Grande, Vargem Pequena, and Recreio dos Bandeirantes, where successive landfills keep squeezing the area of the last remnants of the marsh ecosystem in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Curicica and Nova Barra are also excellent stages for future flooding. In Guaratiba, the "successful" flood area of Jardim Maravilha already presents itself as one of these squares. It won't even be a matter of the future -- it already is, in the present. South of Jardim Maravilha, some new neighborhoods are already showing this trend, and their future growth will guarantee flooding, such as the famous "Pope's Land," where the construction of neighborhoods and shopping malls is planned, and the area around Estrada da Capoeira Grande, where, along its edges, the neighborhoods of Rio Piraquê and Mato Alto are already emerging, close to the BRT station of the same name, and the future Guaratiba Park Racetrack. There is no doubt that, given this trend, these will be flood-prone areas in the near future.
Image description: This is an aerial photograph of a coastal city. On the left side, we see dense green areas, while on the right, there is a large body of water, possibly a lake or the sea. The city is spread across several areas, with buildings scattered mainly in the center and on the right. There are also green areas standing out among the buildings. On the horizon, we see distant mountains, and the sky is clear with few clouds.Baixada de Guaratiba and the advance of urbanization over soft, flood-prone soils
Image description: This is an aerial photograph of a rural area with a centered road. On the left, there are agricultural fields and dense forests. On the right, there are green areas and a small lake. In the background, there are mountains covered with vegetation. The sky is blue with a few scattered clouds. There is no visible text in the image.The flood-prone environments in the Guaratiba lowlands, cut through by Avenida das Américas. The contrast between the areas protected by REBIO Guaratiba (ICMBio) and, in the background at the foot of the mountain range, the settlements of Ilha de Guaratiba.
For Santa Cruz and Sepetiba, the neighborhoods of Balneário Globo I and Balneário Globo II, Dumas and Loteamento Madean, can already be added to the list of future flooding sites. The lowland along the shore of the Baía de Sepetiba is clearly a system of wetlands, marshes and mangroves, which will keep its hydrological functionality and will have its situation worsened by increasing paving.
Finally, along Avenida João XXIII, heading toward the Santa Cruz Industrial District, the new neighborhoods created there are overtaking the areas of organic soil that are typical formations of marshy regions, stretching from the Rio Guandu canal to the Serra da Paciência. Likewise, another lowland agricultural area that has been undergoing paving, being replaced by growing subdivisions, is the foot of the Maciço do Mendanha, along Estrada Guandu do Sena. As with the Nossa Senhora das Graças housing complex and the expansion of homes along Estrada do Pedregoso, the subdivisions and paving are already beginning to signal the trends of local occupation, replacing agricultural activity with the speculation of lots and land.
The occupation of the last few decades in the West Zone reflects the pattern of expansion of the real estate frontier that maintains the same urban planning mindset, spatialized in the peripheral and speculative occupation pattern. And so, inattentive and feigning arrogance, we press forward with this model of urbanization, building new catastrophes every day.
