The two faces of the Tietê
The waterway that saw São Paulo flourish and falter
Existe em português
The Tietê River, which winds its way through the heart of São Paulo, is a waterway with many historical ties. Its name, in the Tupi language, means “great river” and, in Guarani, “true waters”. Before it was first mapped in the mid-18th century, it was known to the indigenous people as Anhembi, named after a South American partridge. With origins stretching back an estimated ten to fifteen million years, the river has been used by a variety of peoples - from the Amerindians and the Bandeirantes to clergymen - each leaving their mark on its course. However, its history is complex - from being an important waterway to becoming one of São Paulo’s most polluted rivers.
The Tietê has played a significant role in São Paulo’s development. During the 18th century, it was vital to mining exploration and sugar production, which altered its color and led to the deforestation of its banks. By the early 20th century, however, industrialization and urbanization began to take a heavier toll. Two facts in particular changed its course:
The Proclamation of the Republic and the abolition of slavery. The first factor forced São Paulo to seek industrialization, losing its rural character, since the government already observed its potential for growth and production. The second forced the 'investors' to look for a place to put their money, without being in slave labor and railway stocks [1].
As the city grew rapidly, the Tietê became a symbol of industrial progress, but also a victim of this growth. By the early 1900s, waste-dumping became rampant. The river's long-standing environmental degradation eventually led it to its present state. Today, it is classified as unsightly (murky), dirty (contaminated with garbage and sewage), and unhealthy (transmits diseases). The near-century of waste dumping left the Tietê lifeless, both figuratively and literally.
What might be surprising is that around the early 1900s, the river was the site of rowing, regatta, and swimming competitions. The founding of four water sports clubs1 between 1899 and 1914 contributed to this transformation. This shift in perception and law was notable since previous decades had prohibited physical activities in the river for safety and moral reasons - but not necessarily for health concerns [2]. Even then, the river wasn’t swimmable, as the 1890s brought warnings of E. coli contamination and the risks of cholera and typhoid fever.
In 1900 there were already more than 150 companies throwing garbage in the Tietê, but still in the 1920s and 30s, the river was used for fishing and sports activities [3].
Despite its degradation, the Tietê River remained an important part of life for São Paulo’s residents in the 1920s. The banks of the river became popular gathering and recreational spots. This was in line with the age of hygienism, promoting exercise and fresh air for ailments.
The use of nature as part of medical prescriptions was combined with physical exercise and outdoor games to promote the idea that a body in motion and away from urban confinement is a healthier and more vigorous body. There was also intense promotion of retreats to remote natural areas, which was further encouraged by the advent of paid vacations [4].
The river was caught between a duality of health and sickness. On one hand, it symbolized physical wellness through the promotion of exercise, and on the other, it was becoming increasingly contaminated. By 1927, a staggering 30 tons of sewage per day was entering the river [5].
For perspective, someone alive in 1870 saw São Paulo explode in population from 30,000 residents to 580,000 by 1920 - an increase of more than 1,800%, or over 19 times2. If this kind of growth were to be applied to Brazil today, the country’s population would rise from 220 million to 4.2 billion, an unimaginable trajectory.
In 1924, the first official swimming event on the river was organized by the sports newspaper Gazeta Esportiva, aiming to promote swimming and the river as a public leisure space. The event was widely publicized and attracted many participants and spectators. The swimming course varied from 1.5 to 3 km and typically started near the city center. The annual event became a tradition, playing a key role in popularizing swimming in São Paulo.
However, as population growth & industrialization ballooned even further between the 1940s and 1970s, the river's reputation took a turn for the worse. Pollution skyrocketed, and the river that once served as a site of recreation and pride became increasingly uninhabitable [6].
From the 1990s onward, following a grassroots campaign to clean up the Tietê, the state government invested billions of reals in a multi-stage depollution program [7]. Despite this, in the late 2010s, it was estimated that seven kilograms of trash per second were still being dumped into the rivers and streams of the Greater São Paulo area.
Saying the river is headed in the wrong direction is an understatement - and this is true in two ways. Most rivers start inland and head out to the sea while the Tietê starts in the Serra do Mar, 22 km from the coast, and flows inland. Moreover, while rivers that flow through major, modern cities usually improve over time, the unchecked growth of São Paulo, coupled with individual government projects focused on near-term solutions (often referred to as projetos de vitrine or “showcase projects”), has led to an overall decline in the river’s health. Legacy syndrome when governing by mandates means the resulting short-termism can’t see the forest for the trees, or in this case, the river for the current.
Sources
1 - A “água verdadeira”: uma história do Rio Tietê
2 - Além da poluição, Tietê abrigou competições esportivas, pescarias e passeios românticos
3 - História do Rio Tietê
4 - A Cultura Física nos Rios da Cidade de São Paulo (Brasil – 1899-1940)
5 - Entre paredes de concreto
6 - Rio Tietê: A Primeira Travessia em 1924
7 - Mitos e verdades sobre a campanha de despoluição do rio Tietê
the first one, Clube Esperia, still exists
if the end date of that calculation were 1960, it’d be a 19,900% or 200x increase