Climate Adaptation
Rio’s Dirty, Foul-Smelling Water Renews Privatization Push
- Tap water has been cloudy since early January in several areas
- Strained state needs $7.8 billion to fix its water problem
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The cloudy, foul-smelling water that runs from the taps in Rio de Janeiro is the latest crisis to rock the iconic city, underscoring the urgency behind a push to privatize public services like sanitation.
About 9 million people in and around Rio have been doubting the safety of their water supplies since early this month. Supermarket shelves are bare of bottled water after a rush to stock up. And the strain on resources is due to get a lot worse as 2 million people descend on Rio for Carnival festivities in February.