Matanza River
Encyclopedia
The Matanza River is known by several names, including, in Spanish
, Río de la Matanza ("the slaughter river" in English), Río Matanza ("slaughter river"), Río Mataderos ("slaughterhouses river"), Río de la Manzana ("the apple river"), El Riachuelo ("the little river" or "the brook"), or simply Riachuelo ("little river" or "brook"). It is a 64 kilometres (40 mi) stream in Argentina
that originates in the Buenos Aires Province
and defines the southern boundary of the Buenos Aires
federal district. It empties into the Río de la Plata
between Tandanor
and Dock Sud
. The La Boca
neighbourhood and the Boca Juniors
football
club are located near the Riachuelo's mouth. The Spanish word boca means "mouth".
The river's course has been canalized and channelized in places, especially along its lower course.
From its source down to La Noria Bridge on Avenida General Paz
, the river is usually referred to as Río La Matanza, and from that point onwards as Riachuelo. Approximately 3.5 million people live in its drainage basin
of 2240 km² (865 sq mi).
The south-easterly storm wind, known as Sudestada, hinders the waters of the Riachuelo from reaching the Río de la Plata, producing frequent flooding in low-lying areas like La Boca and Barracas. Since 1995 a number of flood control
projects have been carried out to prevent such occurrences.
The Matanza's main tributaries
are the Cañuelas, Chacón, and Morales streams in the Province of Buenos Aires, and the Cildáñez stream (currently piped) in the Greater Buenos Aires
urban area. The Matanza receives large amounts of industrial waste from the numerous factories along the river, especially tanneries, which makes the Matanza/Riachuelo a polluted river. Among the most dangerous contaminants are heavy metals
and waste water from the basin's saturated layers. A contentious political subject since at least the 1862-68 administration of President Bartolomé Mitre
, the Riachuelo's plight has attracted the attention of other public figures, notably artist and Greenpeace
activist Nicolás García Uriburu
, who dyed the waterway green in 1970, and on World Water Day (March 22) in 2010, to draw attention to the problem.
In 1993 President Carlos Menem
's Secretary of Environment María Julia Alsogaray
presented a 3-year project to clean up the Riachuelo that was approved, but never started, let alone concluded. The former civil servant, daughter of conservative policy maker Álvaro Alsogaray
, was prosecuted for misappropriation of those public funds.
According to Argentine newspaper Página/12
, of the 250-million-dollar budget, only $90 million remain; $6 million were lost in punitive interests, $150 million were destined to unrelated social projects, and only $1 million was used for the actual cleanup. Critics have also noted that this cleanup was in vain, as all that was done was to remove sunken ship hulls, but nothing was done to prevent newly abandoned ships from sinking. A period of optimism regarding the waterway's condition followed announcements in 2006 by President Néstor Kirchner
that the Riachuelo's improvement would be prioritized; but, though some efforts were undertaken, the river remains a source of health problems and urban blight for its adjoining neighborhoods. Environmental cleanup efforts have been supplemented by urban renewal
proposals for the area.
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, Río de la Matanza ("the slaughter river" in English), Río Matanza ("slaughter river"), Río Mataderos ("slaughterhouses river"), Río de la Manzana ("the apple river"), El Riachuelo ("the little river" or "the brook"), or simply Riachuelo ("little river" or "brook"). It is a 64 kilometres (40 mi) stream in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
that originates in the Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires Province
The Province of Buenos Aires is the largest and most populous province of Argentina. It takes the name from the city of Buenos Aires, which used to be the provincial capital until it was federalized in 1880...
and defines the southern boundary of the Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
federal district. It empties into the Río de la Plata
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
between Tandanor
Tandanor
Tandanor is an Argentine worker-owned shipyard, and the nation's largest. Tandanor is involved in shipbuilding and ship repair and has facilities in Buenos Aires' port....
and Dock Sud
Dock Sud
Dock Sud is a district of the Avellaneda Partido of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It forms part of the Greater Buenos Aires agglomeration.-Sport:...
. The La Boca
La Boca
La Boca is a neighborhood, or barrio of the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires. It retains a strong European flavour, with many of its early settlers being from the Italian city of Genoa. In fact the name has a strong assonance with the Genoese neighborhood of Boccadasse , and some people believe that...
neighbourhood and the Boca Juniors
Boca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primera División....
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club are located near the Riachuelo's mouth. The Spanish word boca means "mouth".
The river's course has been canalized and channelized in places, especially along its lower course.
Avenida General Paz
Avenida General Paz is a beltway freeway surrounding the city of Buenos Aires. Roughly following the boundary between the city and Buenos Aires Province, it is one of the few motorways in Argentina that is toll-free...
, the river is usually referred to as Río La Matanza, and from that point onwards as Riachuelo. Approximately 3.5 million people live in its drainage basin
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
of 2240 km² (865 sq mi).
The south-easterly storm wind, known as Sudestada, hinders the waters of the Riachuelo from reaching the Río de la Plata, producing frequent flooding in low-lying areas like La Boca and Barracas. Since 1995 a number of flood control
Flood control
In communications, flood control is a feature of many communication protocols designed to prevent overwhelming of a destination receiver. Such controls can be implemented either in software or in hardware, and will often request that the message be resent after the receiver has finished...
projects have been carried out to prevent such occurrences.
The Matanza's main tributaries
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
are the Cañuelas, Chacón, and Morales streams in the Province of Buenos Aires, and the Cildáñez stream (currently piped) in the Greater Buenos Aires
Greater Buenos Aires
Greater Buenos Aires is the generic denomination to refer to the megalopolis comprising the autonomous city of Buenos Aires and the conurbation around it, over the province of Buenos Aires—namely the adjacent 24 partidos or municipalities—which nonetheless do not constitute a single administrative...
urban area. The Matanza receives large amounts of industrial waste from the numerous factories along the river, especially tanneries, which makes the Matanza/Riachuelo a polluted river. Among the most dangerous contaminants are heavy metals
Heavy metals
A heavy metal is a member of a loosely-defined subset of elements that exhibit metallic properties. It mainly includes the transition metals, some metalloids, lanthanides, and actinides. Many different definitions have been proposed—some based on density, some on atomic number or atomic weight,...
and waste water from the basin's saturated layers. A contentious political subject since at least the 1862-68 administration of President Bartolomé Mitre
Bartolomé Mitre
Bartolomé Mitre Martínez was an Argentine statesman, military figure, and author. He was the President of Argentina from 1862 to 1868.-Life and times:...
, the Riachuelo's plight has attracted the attention of other public figures, notably artist and Greenpeace
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
activist Nicolás García Uriburu
Nicolás García Uriburu
Nicolás García Uriburu is an Argentine contemporary artist, landscape architect and ecologist.-Life and work:Born in Buenos Aires in 1937, García Uriburu began painting at an early age and, in 1954, secured his first exhibition at the local Müller Gallery...
, who dyed the waterway green in 1970, and on World Water Day (March 22) in 2010, to draw attention to the problem.
In 1993 President Carlos Menem
Carlos Menem
Carlos Saúl Menem is an Argentine politician who was President of Argentina from 1989 to 1999. He is currently an Argentine National Senator for La Rioja Province.-Early life:...
's Secretary of Environment María Julia Alsogaray
María Julia Alsogaray
María Julia Alsogaray is an Argentine politician convicted for financial crimes against the state.-Life and times:The daughter of conservative politician Álvaro Alsogaray, she was born in Buenos Aires and became an engineer...
presented a 3-year project to clean up the Riachuelo that was approved, but never started, let alone concluded. The former civil servant, daughter of conservative policy maker Álvaro Alsogaray
Álvaro Alsogaray
Álvaro Carlos Alsogaray was an Argentine politician and businessman. Minister of Economy during much of the 1959-62 period, he was one of the principal proponents of economic conservatism in modern Argentina.-Early career:...
, was prosecuted for misappropriation of those public funds.
According to Argentine newspaper Página/12
Página/12
Página/12 is a newspaper based in Buenos Aires, Argentina.Página/12 was founded on May 25, 1987, by journalist Jorge Lanata in association with writer Osvaldo Soriano and investigative journalist Horacio Verbitsky...
, of the 250-million-dollar budget, only $90 million remain; $6 million were lost in punitive interests, $150 million were destined to unrelated social projects, and only $1 million was used for the actual cleanup. Critics have also noted that this cleanup was in vain, as all that was done was to remove sunken ship hulls, but nothing was done to prevent newly abandoned ships from sinking. A period of optimism regarding the waterway's condition followed announcements in 2006 by President Néstor Kirchner
Néstor Kirchner
Néstor Carlos Kirchner was an Argentine politician who served as the 54th President of Argentina from 25 May 2003 until 10 December 2007. Previously, he was Governor of Santa Cruz Province since 10 December 1991. He briefly served as Secretary General of the Union of South American Nations ...
that the Riachuelo's improvement would be prioritized; but, though some efforts were undertaken, the river remains a source of health problems and urban blight for its adjoining neighborhoods. Environmental cleanup efforts have been supplemented by urban renewal
Urban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...
proposals for the area.