Swimming in the Tietê. Although many people did so until the 1930s — when the river was already polluted, though much less than today, and swimming and rowing competitions were held even along the stretch within the São Paulo capital —, no one believes this will be possible in the coming years. Cleaning the river, however, is a feasible ambition, provided we understand that there are various gradations within the category of “clean.”
“A clean river is not necessarily one in which you can swim,” says Tomas Alvim, coordinator of the Arq.Futuro de Cidades Laboratory at Insper.
