Guanabara Bay — Water and Waste

This series documents the sanitation crisis in Rio de Janeiro’s Guanabara Bay, where untreated sewage and trash flow into the same waters that define the city’s postcard image. Behind the beauty of Rio’s beaches lies a daily struggle for clean water, safe streets, and basic infrastructure.

Our work for Global Post led us into Rocinha, Latin America’s largest favela, where we met community leader Mr. Martins. He has spent nearly half a century living in Rocinha and advocating for a modern sanitation system — a need that remains unmet. For most residents, open sewers still run through the streets and beneath their homes.

Only about 40 percent of Rio’s sewage is treated. The rest enters its rivers, lagoons, and bay, along with 80 to 100 tons of trash every single day. These photographs confront that reality, showing the human cost of a crisis often hidden behind the city’s celebrated image.