Rio to build walls around slums

Rio de Janeiro – The authorities in Rio de Janeiro are going to build walls around the slum areas in the Brazilian metropolis.

The city’s leaders say that the measure is meant to prevent the uncontrolled expansion of the slum suburbs and to protect the environment. The announcement was made by Icaro Moreno, head the bureau for public works in the city, on Saturday to the Brazilian news site G1. The plan has attracted much criticism. Social organisations state that the measure will further emphasise the contrast between rich and poor in the South-American country. The walls will be three metres high. In the first phase the authorities will raise walls around the slums of Santa Marta and Botafogo. In November, the police occupied Santa Maria in a bid to control drug trade and other forms of crime in the area. The project in its entirety will place concrete walls stretching for eleven kilometres. The authorities aim to cordon off around twenty slum areas.