NBC Olympics 2016 Rio: City's Water Reportedly Filled with Sewage, Debris
The city of Rio de Janiero needs to clean up their act -- and their bodies of water. The city will host the 2016 Summer Olympics, and much of the water that will be used in outdoor water events is filthy, the Washington Post reports.
Guanabara Bay is supposed to be the site of the sailing and windsurfing events in Rio. However, dead fish, sewage, debris and even dead animals have overtaken the waters.
The Olympics are less than a year and a half away, and sailing teams have already begun practicing in the waters. Officials have promised to clean things up in the waters, but delays have slowed the cleanup efforts.
More than 8 million residents in 15 different cities have contributed to the pollution of the Guanabara Bay. Rio has promised to reduce the pollution by 80 percent, but in January, the Brazilian government said that goal would not be met.
In addition to all of the trash found in the bay, there are now reports of a deadly "super bacteria" that has been discovered.
The enzyme in the water is called the KPC enzyme. The KPC enzyme first made the news in 2012 when it was found in 37 states in the U.S., mostly at hospitals. The enzyme had an estimated 50 percent mortality rate in patients with weakened immune systems.
The super bacteria is likely responsible for the thousands of dead fish that have been discovered floating in the water recently.
Rio has asked a Dutch company to help battle the pollution by mapping the solid waste, The Associated Press reports.
"We provide information that can be used, hopefully in an optimal way," the project's leader Joao Rego said. "It's up to the local authorities to implement mitigation measures."
Despite the efforts and assistance from the Dutch, many are not very optimistic.
"We need to do something to stop the waste from being dumped by the people into the rivers," biologist Mario Moscatelli said. "There's no question. It's not about money, it's not about technology. It's about political will."
Rio's Governor Luiz Fernando Pezao wants the city to be ready for the Olympics, but he also wants to "leave a legacy for the local population," he said according to USAToday.
"Brazil is the country of the future," Moscatelli said. "The problem is that the future never comes."
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