Rio places concrete under beach sand
The City Hall of Rio de Janeiro has started the execution of the project on the beach of Barra da Tijuca to installs concrete material under the sand with the goal of reducing the damage caused by undertows on the shore. The intervention has caused intense discontent amount specialists from at least four universities and was suspended on Wednesday (1st), after a notification from the Federal Prosecution Service, which questions the absence of an environmental impact study for the moving of the sand strip. The work aims to reduce the effects of undertows, mainly on the boardwalk and kiosks along the waterfront. Specialists from universities (UFRJ, Uerj, UFF and PUC-Rio) have organized a petition pointing out the risk that the movement could, in fact, increase future damage. The work includes the installation of articulated mattresses made of concrete and a geotextile blanket filled with sand from the beach itself to stabilize the site. The city hall said that "the municipality filed over 100 forms and documents on the Federal Prosecution Service's portal regarding tests, coastal engineering studies, technical elements and projects that corroborate the recovery work on the slopes of Barra da Tijuca".