From Carioca to Guandu (Part 2)

A short history of the water supply at Rio de Janeiro

By Museu Histórico Nacional

From Carioca to Guandu

Praça XV (1880/1889) by Alberto Henschel & CiaMuseu Histórico Nacional

Second half of the 19th century: search for new sources

At the same time that water, little by little, reached the taps of the houses, the workers that used to take the water from the public fountain became increasingly scarce. We must remember that in 1850 the slave trade was definitively abolished and many enslaved people who lived in the cities were sold to coffee plantations in the Paraíba Valley. In this way, Rio de Janeiro would be the stage and witness of a series of transformations and technological advances that responded to a demand arising from the population increase and the scarcity of enslaved labor.

[Rio de Janeiro: Tijuca waterfall] (1950/1959) by UnknownMuseu Histórico Nacional

Amidst this scenario of profound changes in the countryside and in the city, Rio suffers once again from a lack of water. The city’s springs are no longer sufficient to supply the growing population, which still depends on the Massif of Tijuca as the only source of water (ALMEIDA, 2010, p. 20).

[Portrait, probably, of an entourage that went to visit the works] (1889-06-25) by Marc FerrezMuseu Histórico Nacional

Faced with this prognosis of water crisis, the imperial government signed a contract, in 1876, with the engineer Antonio Gabrielli. From then on, he would be responsible for organizing commissions in search of rivers and sources outside the territorial limits of the city, especially those whose springs originated in the Serra do Tinguá (Nova Iguaçu). Thus, between 1877 and 1889, the waters of the D’Ouro, Santo Antônio and São Pedro rivers were channeled.

News about water supply to Rio de Janeiro in six days (Hemeroteca da Biblioteca Nacional collection) (1889-03-23) by UnknownMuseu Histórico Nacional

The supply crises that plagued Rio de Janeiro at the end of the 19th century would take on more serious contours before the drought faced by the Cariocas at the beginning of 1889. Added to the water shortage, the city also faced an outbreak of yellow fever. The growing popular dissatisfaction with this scenario was already a symptom of the Empire's decadence.

Commemorative medal of the imperial government's water supply contract for Rio de Janeiro (obverse) (1889)Museu Histórico Nacional

In the midst of this chaotic situation, the engineer André Gustavo Paulo de Frontin - a declared supporter of republican ideals - proposed as a palliative solution to the water crisis the provisional catchment of water from Serra Velha (Tinguá) to the Pedregulho Reservoir (Benfica). The boldness of the proposal, however, was not due to the grandiosity of the project - which included the channeling of water over 18 kilometers - but to the time stipulated to carry it out: six days.

Commemorative medal of the imperial government's water supply contract for Rio de Janeiro (reverse) (1889)Museu Histórico Nacional

Faced with such a serious problem that had been dragging on for years, the possibility of such an immediate resolution put in check the efficiency and competence of the already unstable imperial government. The support of government opponents to Frontin's proposal and the repercussion of the case in newspapers at the time made this an emblematic episode of the political-social crisis that would lead to the end of the Empire and the proclamation of the Republic in November of that same year. (KURY, 2020, p. 94-95).

Catchment of Mantequira – Ribeira Dam by Marc FerrezMuseu Histórico Nacional

A little later, during the first decade of the 20th century, the Xerém and Mantiquira rivers would also be domesticated in order to complement the supply of Rio’s population (KURY, 2020, p. 94-95).

St. Anthony river dam by Marc FerrezMuseu Histórico Nacional

Parallel to the channeling of new rivers, several works were carried out in order to optimize the distribution and treatment of water, such as the construction of settling tanks, reservoirs and dams.

Fontaine from place du Palais to Rio Janeiro (1840/1849) by Louis Pierre Alphonse BicheboisMuseu Histórico Nacional

In addition, the decrease in the number of water workers - people who used to transport water from public fountains to houses - on the city's streets was already evident, either as a reflection of the end of the slave trade, or due to the start of direct water supply to households (KURY, 2020, p. 65).

Dam of Rio São Pedro da Limeira by Marc FerrezMuseu Histórico Nacional

Although the improvements in water catchment and distribution throughout the turn of the 19th to the 20th century – when the rivers from Serra do Tinguá were channelled – have resulted in a substantial development of the supply system, the fact is that, since then, such distribution would occur in an uneven way.

Aqueduct of Grota do Despenhadeiro by Marc FerrezMuseu Histórico Nacional

The new possibilities of providing water at home translated into a greater commitment by the government to quality and storage, which resulted in new practices of controlling supply and consumption.

Hydrometer calibration manufactory by Marc FerrezMuseu Histórico Nacional

The increasing rationalization and modernization of distribution flows resulted in new charging and taxation practices, which would connect the supply to the purchasing power of applicants and consumers. In 1898 the installation of hydrometers began, due to a law enacted the previous year that would regulate the collection of fees (ANA, 2007, p. 165). Thus, the distribution of water spouts would end up favoring the wealthier parishes to the detriment of the more densely populated regions (ALMEIDA, 2010, p. 28-29).

Bridge over Rio d’Ouro by Marc FerrezMuseu Histórico Nacional

The Rio D'Ouro railroad 

In order to provide the transport of inputs for the canalization works of the Serra do Tinguá rivers, the Rio D'Ouro railway was created, which initially ran a total of 52,858 meters between Caju and Baixada Fluminense (ALMEIDA, 2010 , p. 170). Over the years, the railroad that snaked through the Rio suburbs would be expanded and have several branches added until it reached a total length of more than 100 km (KURY, 2020, p. 99). The path of the trails of the Rio D’Ouro would transform the landscape of its route, conditioning the occupation of the surrounding territories and the emergence of towns and villages along its path.

Mantequira railway and pipeline – Pedra Chorona Viaduct by UnknownMuseu Histórico Nacional

Upper Reservoir of Pedregulho by Marc FerrezMuseu Histórico Nacional

The waters of Guandu 

In the first half of the 20th century, catchments from Serra do Tinguá and Baixada Fluminense represented 80% of the volume of water that supplied the city of Rio de Janeiro (ANA, 2007, p. 166). However, droughts were still a constant problem, as was the growing demand. This scenario forced the public authorities to search for more substantial solutions that could guarantee the city's water supply. The first of these solutions took place in the 1940s with the construction of the first pipeline in Ribeirão das Lajes and the second pipeline in the Fontes Velhas Plant (ANA, 2007, p. 167). But it was only in the 1950s that the problem of scarcity was finally resolved with the transposition of water from the Paraíba do Sul and Piraí rivers to the Guandu River basin, henceforth the new source of catchment.

State of Rio de Janeiro: Guandu Lift (1960/1961) by UnknownMuseu Histórico Nacional

Over the years, the Guandu Water Treatment Station would undergo a series of interventions and improvements that enabled it to have a current flow of 45,000 liters of water per second. This feat earned it a place in the Guinness Book as “the largest drinking water treatment plant in the world in continuous production” (CEDAE, p. 3). It was up to the Guandu River, with all the greatness of engineering applied to its capture, the solution to supply the city of Rio de Janeiro.

Girls carrying water cans (Arquivo Nacional collection) (1953-01-18) by GericoMuseu Histórico Nacional

The guarantee of supply, however, does not translate into equal distribution. As in colonial times, the water route finds a greater flow in areas and regions with greater purchasing power, neglecting a large part of the population in the metropolitan region who, until today, has to resort to artesian wells or deal with possible suspensions in supply.

People waiting to carry water (Arquivo Nacional collection) by UnknownMuseu Histórico Nacional

Water roll replica (rola-rola - Museu da Maré collection) by Antônio Carlos Pinto VieiraMuseu Histórico Nacional

Rola-rola

Artifact invented in the Maré community to fetch water from the source. It consists of a barrel caulked with bitumen, fitted with a metal handle and wrapped in truck tire rubber for easier rolling. The wood used was ipe or maçaranduba, both strong enough to resist humidity. Having a rola-rola at home was a sign of prestige in the community from the 1940s until the 1980s, when running water finally arrived in the region and the rola-rola went from being a utilitarian object to an object of memory. Currently, one copy is part of the Museu da Maré collection.

The water drama: not everyone has a spout (Arquivo Nacional collection) (1958-11-30) by GericoMuseu Histórico Nacional

Boys and their rola-rola (Arquivo Nacional collection) by UnknownMuseu Histórico Nacional

Iron fountain at Praça XV de Novembro by Marc FerrezMuseu Histórico Nacional

Today, the fountains are part of the city's memory 

If in the past the fountain was a fundamental urban piece for water supply, today it remains important, but its function has changed. Today, it is the memory of the city that needs the fountain, so that we don't forget that Rio once depended on the crystal-clear water that flowed from these fountains to quench the thirst of the Cariocas.

Fountain at Praça da Bandeira (1960/1969) by UnknownMuseu Histórico Nacional

When this image was taken, the children used to refresh themselves at the beautiful fountain in Praça da Bandeira. Ordered in Austria, the fountain arrived in Brazil in 1878, having been installed in the then Largo do Paço, now Praça XV. It remained there until the construction of the Perimetral viaduct at the end of the 1950s. In 1960, it was transferred to Praça da Bandeira, the location of the postcard shown here. With the demolition of the Monroe Palace in 1976, the old fountain was moved to that location, in Cinelândia, where it remains today.

Grandjean de Montigny fountain by Grandjean de MontignyMuseu Histórico Nacional

Grandjean de Montigny Fountain, at Praça Afonso Viseu, in Alto da Boa Vista 

Designed by the French architect Grandjean de Montigny, this fountain was inaugurated in 1850 in Rossio Pequeno, later known as Praça Onze. With the opening of Avenida Presidente Vargas and the disappearance of Praça Onze, in 1943, the fountain was transferred to Alto da Boa Vista.

Rio de Janeiro (Guanabara) Brazil. Three Graces Fountain and N. S. da Glória ChurchMuseu Histórico Nacional

The fountains that we still find scattered around the city's streets and squares are the bastions of Rio resilience that oscillates between abundance and scarcity.

Botanical Garden - Central Fountain by UnknownMuseu Histórico Nacional

O Chafariz das Musas era do Largo da Lapa e, em 1895, foi transferido para o Jardim Botânico.

Pátio dos Canhões (2017) by Adriana Bandeira CordeiroMuseu Histórico Nacional

From the water sources that sometimes gushed, sometimes dried, we inherited the aesthetic concreteness and the memory of a time when life was pulsating around these monuments.

Credits: Story

Curatorship
Adriana Bandeira Cordeiro
Barbara Deslandes Primo
Daniella Gomes dos Santos
Maria Isabel Ribeiro Lenzi

Acknowledgements
Arquivo Nacional
Museu da Maré
Antonio Carlos Pinto Vieira
Cláudia Rose Ribeiro da Silva
Claudio Figueiredo
Maria do Carmo Teixeira Rainho
Paula Aranha

MHN website: http://mhn.museus.gov.br/
MHN Digital Library:
Iconographic Albums Collection
ALico01:
http://docvirt.com/docreader.net/docreader.aspx?bib=MHN&pasta=&pesq=&pagfis=74091

Miguel Calmon Collection (albums):
MCab2
http://docvirt.com/docreader.net/docreader.aspx?bib=MHN&pasta=&pesq=&pagfis=73796
MCab4
http://docvirt.com/docreader.net/docreader.aspx?bib=MHN&pasta=&pesq=&pagfis=73670

Information on the collection of the MHN Historical Archive: mhn.arquivo.historico@museus.gov.br

Bibliographic references
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