Rio rates high in beach cleanup.

• Author: Windhausen, Rodolfo
• Position: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - !Ojo!

IN A DUAL EFFORT to protect the environment and its people, Rio de Janeiro's state and city governments have succeeded in greatly reducing water pollution at the popular beach resorts of Leme and Copacabana--lowering contamination levels to below the standards prescribed by the World Health Organization.

In its annual report, Rio de Janeiro's State Foundation for Environmental Engineering (FEEMA) rated Leme "best beach in 1993" for the water quality it offers bathers. "Today, Leme is the finest of all the beaches that make up the city's beach network," says FEEMA president Adir Ben Kauss.

Leme's cleanliness is now being compared to that of the Grumari and Prainha beaches, which are virtually pollution free. Copacabana beach was rated as very good, although just a year earlier it barely managed to obtain an average, or satisfactory, rating.

Beginning in 1992, the State Water and Sewage Company (CEDAE) launched the Ocean Beaches Decontamination Program, in an effort to control the nearly 70 million gallons of wastewater being pumped daily onto Rio de Janeiro's beaches...