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Rio de Janeiro City Hall presents intervention plan to combat flooding in the Acari River Basin.
Published on 22/11/2025 - 16:58 | Updated on 23/11/2025 - 17:17
Machines have already begun dredging the Acari River - Photo: Rafael Catarcione The deputy mayor of Rio, Eduardo Cavaliere, presented this Saturday (November 22nd) the intervention plan to combat flooding in the Acari River Basin, which is considered the most critical flooding point in the North Zone. The works and services will reduce the risk of flooding in the area and will benefit nine neighborhoods, such as Acari, Fazenda Botafogo, and Jardim América. Dredging services in the river are being intensified starting this Saturday, with machines dedicated exclusively to the site.
– This is a historic moment for the residents. For decades, the population of this region has lived with and suffered from flooding. We will begin dredging to prevent and minimize the problem as early as next summer. Mayor Eduardo Paes, in partnership with the federal government, has already guaranteed the investments for these infrastructure works – highlighted Cavaliere, noting that the total project timeframe is approximately three years.
In his speech, the deputy mayor reminded everyone that not all problems will be solved immediately and warned residents:
– It is necessary to redouble our attention and maintain constant dialogue with the contingency protocols that the Rio de Janeiro city hall has already established. It is also important that you, residents, do not allow people to throw garbage in the streets and into the river. The city hall team will be here permanently, maintaining dialogue with you. Continue to monitor the works.
This Saturday, the Rio-Águas Foundation intensified its river cleaning efforts with four machines, prioritizing the stretches between Avenida Brasil and Avenida Pastor Martin Luther King Jr., where hydraulic excavators will be used; and at the mouth of the Pavuna River, where an amphibious machine will clean the channel underwater. The Rio de Janeiro City Hall has always routinely worked on the Acari River, and now, with a specific and robust contract, cleaning efforts are being reinforced. The investment in these services is over R$ 14 million from the municipality.
– One of the biggest problems we have is flooding. This hydrographic basin represents 10% of the municipality's territory. We have 20% of the population in the North Zone region. The works will provide more safety and resilience to the residents – highlighted the municipal Secretary of Infrastructure, Wanderson Santos, recalling that the expectation is to remove about 300 tons of garbage from the Acari River over two years.
In total, more than R$ 430 million will be invested in the region, with resources from the Federal Government and the municipality. The amount includes cleaning and dredging services in the river and the works of the PAC (Growth Acceleration Program) for the Acari River Basin. The project interventions will be divided into phases. The first stage will begin at the confluence of the Acari and Pavuna Rivers, where one of the riverbanks will be rehabilitated, and will start in the first half of 2026.
Cavaliere and Wanderson Santos presented the project to the residents. A video about the works, detailing the interventions, was shown. Housewife Jacinta Cristóvão de Oliveira, 65, lives next to the Acari River and is eagerly awaiting the start of the flood control works.
"When it rains, the river level rises and we can't sleep because we're worried about it. I believe this project will bring benefits not only to me, but to all the residents of this region," said Jacinta.
The PAC (Growth Acceleration Program) project for the Acari River Basin will benefit 3,8 km of the river, between Acari and Jardim América. The works will widen the riverbed to approximately 50 meters in width, in the stretch between Avenida Pastor Martin Luther King Jr. and its mouth at the Pavuna River. The works will directly benefit approximately 80 people. The Acari River Basin covers 107 square kilometers and is densely populated, representing about 20% of the city's population. River floods mainly affect nine neighborhoods in the northern zone: Acari, Costa Barros, Coelho Neto, Irajá, Barros Filho, Fazenda Botafogo, Jardim América, Pavuna, and Colégio.
Recent works carried out on the Acari River
In September of this year, the Rio-Águas Foundation completed structural reinforcement work on part of the retaining wall on the right bank of the Acari River, near Rua Cajatuba, in Honório Gurgel. The work covered 33 meters of the wall, where the supporting structures were reinforced, and 1.341 square meters of the riverbed were restored. In 2024, work was carried out to restore the retaining wall of the Acari River, in the section between Estrada João Paulo and Rua Cajatuba, in Honório Gurgel. 22 meters of the wall were restored. The total investment in these interventions is R$3,2 million.
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