Niterói: start of desilting works on the Itaipu CanalAlex Ramos/Ascom
Published 05/10/2024 07:56
Niterói – Mayor Axel Grael gave the order to start this Thursday (09) the structural recovery works of the chain guides and unblocking the Connection Channel of Lagoa de Itaipu and the beaches of Itaipu and Camboinhas. Carried out by the Municipal Department of Works and Infrastructure, the initiative aims to recover the region’s lagoon system, enabling the exchange of perennial water. The renovation is expected to take around 15 months. The total investment will be R$44 million.
The project involves removing the volume of sand deposited in the channel connecting the lagoon and the sea. The moles will be rebuilt and the canal will be desilted to a depth of two meters. Natural silting is caused by the coastal dynamics of the region, but this connection of sea waters is important to maintain life in the lagoon. Mayor Axel Grael explains that the measures taken will cause the water flow to be redirected to prevent the accumulation of sediment in the lagoon.
“This is a project that will redo the chain guides and stone mounds. With this, we will stabilize the water exchange. Desilting will be carried out for definitive dredging so that we can guarantee a greater flow of water between the lagoon and the sea. We will also have interventions that will contain erosion near the dune that has put this great historical and cultural heritage of Niterói at risk. Today is a day that we have been waiting for for a long time to get here to start this work. “, says the mayor.
With part of the material from unblocking the channel, an artificial beach will be created, which will aim to protect Duna Velha (Itaipu side) from erosion that occurs due to the action of tidal currents. This small beach will be between the upstream end of the Itaipu current guide and the point where the Laguna’s Bar restaurant is located, further inland from the Lagoon. With this reform, the objective is to end fish deaths and allow navigability at the site. The State Environmental Conservation Fund (Fecam) approved financing of R$28 million for the work to stabilize the Itaipu Canal.
Luiz Mendonça, president of the Association of fishermen and friends of Lagoa de Piratininga, says that the work will be important for the environmental balance of the lagoon system. “What will be done in the Itaipu Canal is very important to guarantee the exchange of water and fish life in the Lagoon. With the improvement of the entire lagoon system, including the reopening of the Tibau Tunnel, we will be able to have the return of crabs and shrimps in the lagoon. These are necessary interventions that will make a difference”, points out Luiz Mendonça
In 2013, Niterói City Hall signed a lagoon co-management contract with the State and collaborates in the recovery process of the lagoon system, which is the legal responsibility of the state government.
