Rio de Janeiro Flashcards
1
Q
Where is Rio situated?
A
It is situated in south-east Brazil, around Guanabara Bay
2
Q
How has urban growth created opportunities: social- healthcare
A
- Healthcare provisions, such as health care centres and hospitals, is significantly better in Rio than in rural areas. -Compared to living in the countryside vulnerable people such as children and the elderly have better access to emergency care and vaccinations in Rio.
- With six hospitals, there is easier access to health servies in Rio than in rural areas.
3
Q
education- social opportunity
A
- There are many primary and secondary schools in Rio which have enabled 95% of children aged 10 and above in the city to be literate. This is considerably higher than the national average. The city also has several universities providing higher education opportunities.
- city has 1673 schools, with 42,529 teachers employed.
- number one city for education
- contains 19 of the 60 best schools in the country
- workforce in Rio also has the largest number of yrs of education attainment- 65% of those employed have completed a high school degree.
4
Q
Water supply
A
- Access to clean water has increased considerably in Rio since the city hosted major sporting events such as the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics. Over 90% of the population of Rio have access to mains water supply.
- An estimated 98% of the city is served by the city’s supply system, compared to Brazil’s average of 82%
- 7 new treatment plants were built between 1998-2014
- 75% of the city’s sewage is treated compared to Brazil’s average of 39%
5
Q
Energy
A
- Although the city is subject to power cuts, the energy supply is more reliable than in rural areas where lighting and power are not always available. Despite this many residents in the favelas tap into the power supply illegally. This has led to fires.
- the city has invested a lot of money in improving its energy ahead of the 2016 Olympic Games: It has installed new power lines and built new nuclear generators and HEP plants.
6
Q
How have Rio’s industries created economic development?
A
- As Rio is one of Brazil’s most important industrial cities considerable economic growth has occurred. -For example, there have been improvements in services (such as water and energy), roads and transport.
- Employment opportunities are available in Rio’s five ports through the export of coffee, sugar and iron ore.
- The largest steelworks in South America is located in Sepetiba Bay in Rio. This has led to new construction and supply industries being attracted to the area further encouraging economic growth and job opportunities.
- This is known as the multiplier effect. As the population has grown and industry has developed so too has the service sector (e.g. retail and finance) to meet the demands of the area.
- Migrant labour and economic investment are also attracted to Rio due to the growth in manufacturing industries such as furniture, clothing, pharmaceuticals and food processing.
- Rio’s industrial areas have boosted the city’s economy
- Rio provides more than 6% of Brazil’s employment
- Economic development has improved Rio’s transport and environment
- the city’s favelas have improved
- Large companies are now attracted to Rio
- Economic opportunities have developed in the formal economy
7
Q
Health care challenges
A
- Most of the health-care services are not free
- In 2013, only 55% of the city had a local family health clinic.
- services for pregnant women and the elderly were very poor, especially in areas of the West Zone,
8
Q
Solution for health care
A
- eg: Favela of Santa Marta
- set on a steep hillside, has a population of 8000 - it has few roads and the main means of access is an overcrowded cable car. It is 13 km to the nearest hospital. Medical staff took a health kit into people’s homes and were able to detect twenty different diseases and treat them. As a result, infant mortality has fallen and life expectancy increased.
9
Q
Education challenges
A
- About 25% of the poorest children do not go to school.
- Education in Brazil is compulsory for children aged 6-14. However, in Rio only half of all children continue their education beyond the age of 14.
- Many drop out of school and some are forced into drug trafficking.
- The level of school enrolment in Rio is low
10
Q
Solutions for education
A
- The authorities are trying to improve access to education by:
- encouraging local people to volunteer to help in school
- giving school grants to poor families to help meet the cost of keeping their children in school
- making money available to pay for free lessons in volleyball, football, swimming and squash in Rocinha favela.
- opening a private university in Rocinha favela.
11
Q
Water supply opportunities and challenges
A
- the city has the largest water treatment works in the country
- people living in Rio have a much greater chance of having a fresh water supply compared to people in the countryside
- However, around 12% of Rio’s population did not have access to running water
- estimated that 37% of water is lost through leaky pipes, fraud and illegal acces.
- situation has become worse in recent years.
12
Q
Solutions for water supply
A
- most of the work has been on improving the quantity/quality of water in the favelas and in the Olympic Park
- Seven new treatment plants were built between 1998 and 2014, and over 300 km of pipes were laid.
- By 2014, 95% of the population had a mains water supply.
13
Q
Energy: opportunities
A
- The Brazilian government has concentrated increasing energy supplies to cities like Rio where the population densities are greatest
- the percentage of the population with access to electricity is three times higher than in the countryside. The rich areas have the best electricity provision.
14
Q
Energy challenges
A
- The whole city suffers frequent blackouts due to a shortage of electricity.
- the growing population and the demands of the 2016 Olympics made the situation worse.
- Many people living in the poorer parts of Rio de Janeiro get their electricity by illegally tapping into the main supply, which is risky and unsafe
15
Q
Air pollution and traffic congestion
A
- air pollution causes around 5000 deaths per year in Rio.
- (Brown) Smog occurs in still conditions, when natural mist (Atlantic) or fog mixes with vehicle exhaust fumes and pollutants from factories.
- Traffic congestion increases stress and pollution because it leads to the build up of exhaust fumes
- steep mountains limit where roads can go because the roads can only be built on coastal lowland
- the number of cars has grown by over 40% in the last decade
- high crime levels mean people prefer to drive
SOLUTIONS - expansion of the metro system (cuts car use)
- New toll roads into the city centre (cost)
- Making coast-roads one way during rush hours (improves traffic flow)
16
Q
Water pollution
A
- Guanabara Bay is highly polluted
- Rivers are polluted by open sewers in the favelas because the government has not paid for sewage pipes
- there have been oil spills from the Petrobras oil refinery
- Ships empty their fuel tanks in the bay
- Over 200 tonnes of raw sewage pours into the bay each day
SOLUTIONS - 12 new sewage works have been built since 2004
- Ships are fined for discharging fuel illegally
- 5km of new sewage pipes have been installed
17
Q
Waste pollution
A
- Many favelas are on steep slopes with few proper roads so waste collection is difficult
- most waste is dumped and pollutes the water system, causing diseases and encouraging rats
SOLUTIONS - A power plant has been set up which consumes 30 tonnes of rubbish a day and produces enough electricity for 1000 homes.
18
Q
Unemployment
A
- A recession in 2015 increased unemployment in Rio.
- This lead to wide disparities in wealth
- Unemployment rate in favelas are over 20%
- Most people work in the informal economy where the work is poorly paid and irregular
SOLUTIONS - The Schools of Tomorrow programme aims to improve education in the poor and violent areas
- Free child care is provided to enable teenage parents to return to education
