Meia Ponte River
Encyclopedia
The Meia Ponte River is one of the most important rivers in the state of Goiás
, Brazil
. Its source lies 60 km north of the city of Goiânia
and it flows through that city in a southern direction joining the Paranaíba river
just downriver of Cachoeira Dourada Dam. The Paranaíba River marks the border between the states of Goiás and Minas Gerais
. The Meia Ponte's basin furnishes water for 2 million people, fifty percent of the population of the state, and a large part of the economy depends on it.
The Meia Ponte receives great amounts of garbage, industrial waste, and untreated sewage greatly reducing the quality of its waters. The city of Goiânia dumps over 90% of its untreated sewage into the river.
A preliminary evaluation of water quality downstream from Goiânia indicates that the river has a stretch of 60 kilometers below Goiânia with low levels of dissolved oxygen and therefore a limited capacity to sustain aquatic life or provide conditions for agricultural activity.
In addition, the dry summers last up to six months, which means that the Meia Ponte cannot supply all the population that depends on its water. Rationing in the summer is common. Recently a project was initiated to try to recover this important river and a sewage treatment plant is under construction in Goiânia.
Goiás
Goiás is a state of Brazil, located in the central part of the country. The name Goiás comes from the name of an indigenous community...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. Its source lies 60 km north of the city of Goiânia
Goiânia
-Climate:The city has a tropical wet and dry climate with an average temperature of . There's a wet season, from October to April, and a dry one, from May to September. Annual rainfall is around 1,520 mm....
and it flows through that city in a southern direction joining the Paranaíba river
Paranaíba River
The Paranaíba River is a Brazilian river whose source lies in the state of Minas Gerais in the Mata da Corda mountains, municipality of Rio Paranaíba, at an altitude of 1,148 meters; on the other face of this mountain chain are the sources of the Abaeté river, tributary of the São Francisco River...
just downriver of Cachoeira Dourada Dam. The Paranaíba River marks the border between the states of Goiás and Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
. The Meia Ponte's basin furnishes water for 2 million people, fifty percent of the population of the state, and a large part of the economy depends on it.
The Meia Ponte receives great amounts of garbage, industrial waste, and untreated sewage greatly reducing the quality of its waters. The city of Goiânia dumps over 90% of its untreated sewage into the river.
A preliminary evaluation of water quality downstream from Goiânia indicates that the river has a stretch of 60 kilometers below Goiânia with low levels of dissolved oxygen and therefore a limited capacity to sustain aquatic life or provide conditions for agricultural activity.
In addition, the dry summers last up to six months, which means that the Meia Ponte cannot supply all the population that depends on its water. Rationing in the summer is common. Recently a project was initiated to try to recover this important river and a sewage treatment plant is under construction in Goiânia.
See also
- Tributaries of the Río de la Plata