Even though the Rio Olympics have not even started, there are already dozens of problems afoot. There is the Zika Virus, pollution, crime, rioting, the athlete’s apartments having leaky pipes as well as blocked toilets. Now there is the issue of the water and the sewage. There are experts who have advised the athletes and tourists to be cautious.
According to reports by the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of South Florida who did a 16-months-long study, stated that “the waterways of Rio de Janeiro are as filthy as ever, contaminated with raw human sewage teeming with dangerous viruses and bacteria.”
There are thousands of dead fish floating in the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon. This is where the Olympics rowing and canoeing competitions are supposed to take place. This is a failure for not only the Olympics but for their own people. There is added danger which is superbugs, which carry bacteria resistant to most antibiotics. There are very high levels of bacteria and viruses, the report stated that “Seeing that level of human pathogenic virus is pretty much unheard of in surface waters in the U.S. You would never, ever see these levels because we treat our waste water. You just would not see this.”
This is a big danger to the swimmers and other water sports. It could cause the athletes to acquire a serious illness since the water is very contaminated. The National Observer noted, “According to a study by the University of Texas School of Public Health, athletes who ingest just three teaspoons of water from the contaminated bay in Brazil have a 99 percent chance of being infected.”
According to news outlets, there are “Dead animals, plastic, garbage and furniture are only a sample of the vile items reported to pollute its waters,” also adding that ” the athletes competing this August have been told to swim with their mouths closed to avoid contracting serious illness from the water.”
The National Post stated that the “Untreated hospital waste is the probable cause of waterborne superbacteria, but chemical waste from factories is another culprit. However, the chief reason that Rio’s waterways are such a petri dish of contaminants is the torrent of untreated human feces that spews out of open sewers such as one located at the east end of the Guanabara Bay, where it is hemmed in by apartments where many of the city’s wealthiest citizens live.”
These are also the citizens who are to benefit from the Olympics, there are some who are extremely inconvenienced, to say the least. There are thousands of poor citizens displaced from their homes to make room for the stadiums. There is a detailed investigation in The Atlantic which detailed the situation. There are many problems regarding the preparations for the Olympics and with the players involved. It is reported that there are more than 20,000 citizens removed and their homes destroyed in order to make way for roads and stadiums.
There are also people rioting in the streets. This is due to the political turmoil present after votes to impeach its president. This is happening all while the interim President promises to pull Brazil out from their problems.
The Olympics begin on Friday and there are people questioning whether the Olympics should even be held. There is environmental, economical, and political turmoil in the country which looms over the Rio Olympics. Let us continue to see what happens and how the Rio Olympics start despite all the problems. Maybe these Olympics will set a precautionary measure for the future.
