Forecasting System for Bay Clean-up Goes Operational

Research institute Deltares is a partner in the clean-up of Guanabara Bay on the Brazilian coast near Rio de Janeiro in time for the 2016 Olympics

Deltares is a partner in the efforts to clean up Guanabara Bay on the Brazilian coast near Rio de Janeiro in time for the 2016 Olympics. The operational forecasting system was handed over to the government authority in Rio de Janeiro during a presentation by Joao de Lima Rega, a project manager with Deltares. The system will make it possible to complete the clean-up faster so that the bay will be clean when the Games open in 2016.

Tracking waste

The 380 km2 bay is severely affected by drifting waste. The system provides a four-day forecast of where the waste will be located in the bay and how quickly it will move in which direction. That allows the eco-boats that clear up the waste to do their work more effectively and efficiently.

Pollution caused by urbanisation and deforestation

This vast area was once home to a rich and varied ecosystem but factors such as urbanisation and deforestation have led to severe pollution in recent decades. Local people and companies from the surrounding areas dump their waste in rivers, and hardly any of it is filtered out of the water. It flows into the bay.

The project in the bay in Rio is being supported by the Ministries of Infrastructure and the Environment, and of Economic Affairs.

Source: Deltares

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