Francismar Siviero organized the 4th edition of Clean Guaíba Lake where 200 volunteers helped strengthen the environmental agenda in Porto Alegre.
Guaíba is a major body of water in Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state of Brazil. It is commonly referred to either as a river (Rio Guaíba) or as a lake (Lago Guaíba). The Jacuí River, the Sinos River, the Gravataí River and the Caí River empty into Guaíba from the north, which in its turn empties into the Lagoa dos Patos, the largest lagoon in South America further down south.
The volunteers in the Belém Novo neighborhood combined environmental education along with cleaning the lake’s shoreline, a 3 km open water swim, kayaking, rowing, and walking events at Praça José Comunale where scout groups, the Brazilian Navy, the Search and Rescue Battalion (BBS), and supporting companies including Accor, Novotel Porto Alegre Três Figueiras, Novotel Porto Alegre Aeroporto, CMPC Brasil, 99 Brasil, and Savar Toyota, with support from Sicredi Origens, Catamarã Catsul, Ecco Salva Medical Emergencies, and Aeromot. Siviero said, “This is a permanent effort of awareness. Our greatest hope is that, in the future, we return with empty garbage bags. That will be the true sign of progress.”
The Porto Alegre City Government and its Municipal Urban Cleaning Department also joined the operation, deploying teams, trucks, and machinery for the collection and transportation of waste removed from the shoreline. The use of boats made it possible to reach difficult areas and remove accumulated debris from the lakebed, reaffirming the local’s passionate commitment to the recovery of one of Porto Alegre’s most iconic natural landmarks.
The mobilization also received support from the City Secretariats of Sports and Leisure, Tourism, Urban Mobility, Culture and Partnerships of Porto Alegre, the Seival and Passo da Pátria Sea Scout Groups, Raia Sul, EPTC, Marquespan, Orquídea Alimentos, GP Social, Jet Azul Patinete, and the FrancisSwim Portal.
Photo courtesy of Thiago Oliveira.
© 2025 Daily News of Open Water Swimming
“to educate, enthuse, and entertain all those who venture beyond the shoreline“
World Open Water Swimming Federation project, a human-powered project.