Governor of São Paulo Pledges to Clean up Pinheiros River by 2022

By Contributing Reporter

SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – The governor of São Paulo, João Doria, said on Wednesday, June 5th, that he will privatize the Traição Plant building and convert the area into a sort of “Puerto Madero”, featuring a leisure and recreational facility for the populace. He additionally promised to clean up the Pinheiros River by December 2022.

Puerto Madero is one of the most popular neighborhoods in Buenos Aires, with a port on the banks of the Rio de la Plata. The spot, teeming with bars and restaurants, has become a highlighted tourist spot in the Argentinian capital.

“The deadline for delivering a clean river to the population of São Paulo and recovering the riverbanks, established for the relevant bodies by the Secretariat of Infrastructure and Environment, is December 2022,” affirmed the governor on Wednesday morning, June 5th, World Environment Day. He also stated that the two power plants on the banks of the Pinheiros will be removed by 2020 and cables will be buried.

Between January and April of this year, the Metropolitan Water and Energy Company (EMAE) removed over 1,600 tonnes of waste at the Pedreira and Traição plants on the Pinheiros River.

The Tietê River should be cleaned up in 8 years, starting with Guarulhos and Mogi das Cruzes, according to the state government.

The Traição Plant (Usina da Traição) will be renamed São Paulo Plant (Usina São Paulo) and will be ceded to the private sector. The concession program will be introduced next year. “The plant will continue to operate, but the remaining spaces will be converted into public areas for leisure, entertainment, cafés, and restaurants, in addition to cleaning up the Pinheiros River,” Doria said. The São Paulo Plant will be a sort of Puerto Madero in São Paulo.