A partnership signed by state governor, Sérgio Cabral, the Water and Sewage Company of Rio de Janeiro (Cedae) and contractors RJZ/ Cyrella and Carvalho Hosken will bring forward the Barra da Tijuca environmental clean-up program by five years. The region is one of the main centers of the Rio de Janeiro project to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The event was held at the Palácio Guanabara, seat of the State Government and was attended by Rio 2016 general manager of infrastructure, Alexandre Techima, and the municipal secretary of urban development, Sérgio Dias.

The new project, first outlined in Rio de Janeiro’s Candidature File delivered to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), includes the construction of a system capable of collecting 450 liters of wastewater per second which negates the need to construct treatment plants in Barra da Tijuca condominiums. The R$ 7 million investment will benefit about 100,000 people. "This partnership involves various sectors working together for the development of Rio de Janeiro. Entrepreneurs are investing in city projects, such as the bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games, which already has the support of several companies," said Cabral.

Cedae president Wagner Victer, noted that with the signing of the agreement, the new condominiums will be environmentally legal. "This project reaffirms environmental commitments made in the Rio de Janeiro Candidature File, delivered to the IOC," said Victer.

In the Rio 2016 project, the region of Barra da Tijuca will be home to competitions in 19 Olympic sports and 13 Paralympic, as well as the Olympic Village, the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) and the Main Press Centre (MPC). "The environmental issue is very important for Rio 2016. The signing of this partnership will further improve the quality of life in Barra da Tijuca, a region key to the Olympic candidature," said Techima.