Piscinão do Derby

O Bobo photos

Good news! It turns out that the planned demolition of the Julio Delamare Olympic Swimming complex will not have much of an impact on the training regimes of Brazilian swimmers and divers. In a move that can only be described as blindingly prescient, the swimming complex has been moved into the Maracanã itself, making the stadium more of a multi-use arena than ever. In 2016 we will see the very high dive from the top of the new roof as well as synchronized car-floating and perhaps the staging of naval battles or exhibitions of indigenous fishing techniques. Perhaps the Joana and Maracanã rivers that flow past the stadium could be sites for hydro-electric dams that could provide electricity for the stadium. This will be the greenest Games ever! Our World Cup runneth over! Did anyone else hear the chorus of angels shouting “pega mijão!” to São Pedro on Tuesday night?

O Bobo photos

For those unfamiliar with the basics of fluvial geomorphology, I offer the following bon mot: water flows downhill and gathers at the lowest elevation. Swamps are swamps precisely because they are low-lying basins that accumulate water. The Maracanã lies between two rivers in a swampy low-lying area with a very high water table. Thus, in order to have adequate drainage for the stadium it is advised to elevate the structure as much as possible. This is particularly true for the playing field.

The reform deform of the Maracanã for the Pan American Games lowered the playing field by 1.50 meters, pushing it ever closer to the high water table. The latest reform deform has compromised even more the drainage capacity of the stadium. We saw in 2010 how an ordinary rain can destroy access to the Maracanã and it is a measure of the clear thinking of the deforms undertaken that more than a billion reales have been spent on a stadium that cannot withstand a tropical downpour in a tropical city.

Of course the problem is much greater than the stadium itself, which suffers from the same problems as the rest of the low lying areas of the city. But have a look at these pictures and make up your mind as to whether or not these problems can be solved by June 2 when Brazil plays England here. 

Meanwhile in Cuiaba, the police are preparing for the World Cup by beating up university students...