Sanitation policies and programs in the Metropolis of Rio de Janeiro: an analysis in the perspective of environmental inequalities

Abstract Precarious access to sanitation is a major environmental problem in the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Region. It negatively affects the population’s living conditions and the rivers in this area, being one of the main causes of pollution in the Guanabara Bay. This paper discusses access to sanitation in the region and addresses the historical causes of the deficit and of the environmental inequalities that mark the west side of the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Region, focusing on the area known as Baixada Fluminense and on the municipalities located in the Guanabara Bay Watershed. Finally, it seeks to encourage dialogue based on the technical solutions currently presented, especially the treatment given to the theme in the metropolitan plan (PEDUI), approved in 2018.