Majority of Carnival Visitors Unaware of Rio Contaminated Water Issue

Exciting fun-filled festivities and colorful decorations and costumes will fill the streets in Brazil. The Carnival celebrations in Rio, Brazil have officially opened. However, Rio contaminated water will be causing a bit of a problem for the celebration. 

During the summer in Brazil, temperatures can reach as high as 120 degrees Fahrenheit. For the celebration of the Carnival, potable water has transformed into a valuable resource. 

Since the start of January, showers and different faucets had been releasing cloudy water. It was also said in an article from Fox News that the water coming to the faucet smelled like clay. 

Currently, Rio contaminated water has not been fixed yet. The influx of approximately 10 million travelers in the following week will make the water issue in the country worse.

The Public Water and Sewage Management Company in Rio

CEDAE, the public water and sewage management company in Rio, had said their apologies for the water issue in the country. The company blamed 'geosmin.' 'Geosmin' is a safe and organic material that increases in volume when stored in aquatic environments rich in nutrients. An example of these aquatic environments is springing where the untreated but nontoxic water is released. However, some people disagree with that claim.

According to a biologist named Ana Passos, water should be tasteless, colorless, and odorless to be safe. 

The Water Potability Crisis in Rio

On February 3, the entire water treatment center in Guandu was closed after a huge volume of detergent was found in the water. The source of the compound was still unknown. However, some experts believe that the source may have originated from different industries outside Rio and blamed the heavy rainfall.

Stopping the Contamination

To resolve the contamination, the facility was treated with activated charcoal. However, experts claim that the proposed solution was only temporary. 

According to a specialist from Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro named Márcia Dezzoti, the sewage discharges from the City are directly released to the Guandu River. She said the water quality that arrived at the overloaded station is not that good.

The Water Crisis in Rio Does not Cause International Alarm

For travelers, the water from Rio is not safe to drink. Also, filtered water is not safe anymore. 

The water crisis in Rio had not caused fear to international visitors, said the City Hall. The hotel occupancy in the city is reaching 90%. The majority of the international travelers in Rio for the Carnival celebration are Americans and Argentinians. Tourism Representatives are worrying about the insufficiency of information for those who are going for the festive season. 

According to the Discovery Hostel owner, the tourists checks-in at the hotel and are not knowledgeable about the Rio contaminated water. He said that it is important to let the tourist know of the condition of water in the city for their safety.

The Health Surveillance Agency is letting the online community know about important information. However, there are still a lot of visitors who are not well-informed about the issue.