Just 7% of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest rivers have good-quality water
A survey conducted by nongovernmental organization SOS Mata Atlântica revealed that only 6.8 percent of the rivers in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest have good-quality water. The survey did not find bodies of water with great quality. More than 20 percent of the rivers analyzed displayed poor or very poor water quality, i.e. not suitable for agriculture, industry, or for human supply, while in 72.6 percent of cases samples could be considered regular.
The data can be found in the new edition of a study entitled O Retrato da Qualidade da Água nas Bacias Hidrográficas da Mata Atlântica (“The Portrait of Water Quality in the Hydrographic Basins of the Atlantic Forest”), carried out by the SOS Mata Atlântica program Observando os Rios (“Observing the Rivers”). The organization argues that Brazil is still far from reaching the ideal of water quantity and quality for its various uses. The survey was released on World Water Day, celebrated this Tuesday (Mar. 22).
“The results for 2021 show us we’re still in an alert situation concerning water and our rivers, as less than half of Brazilians have access to sewage services. And the rivers tell us what’s happening,” said Program Coordinator Gustavo Veronesi.
He explained that the study on water quality in the Atlantic Forest basins serves as a warning about the environmental condition of most rivers across the states of the biome. The poor state of water for multiple and essential uses, the body declared, may come as a result of factors such as pollution, soil and native forest degradation, and precarious sanitation conditions.
Veronesi added that the poorer portions of the population are the most underserved for water, sewage, waste management, and rainwater management—the pillars of basic sanitation.
The indicators were calculated between January and December 2021 by 106 voluntary groups monitoring water quality. A total of 615 assessments were carried out at 146 collection points in 90 rivers and water bodies across 65 municipalities in 16 states of the Atlantic Forest biome.
According to SOS Mata Atlântica, little change was seen from the previous monitoring period last year. The comparative data for 2020 and 2021 take into account indicators gauged at 116 fixed monitoring points. In 2021, nine points had good quality (12 in 2020); 84 showed regular quality (80 in 2020); 22 poor (21 in the previous year), and only one had poor-quality point, whereas 2020 had three.
