Acari Favela Launches Pioneering Study on the Impacts of Flooding in the Community

On July 18, the residents of Acari favela in Rio de Janeiro’s North Zone unveiled the initial findings of their flood mapping study. The Portraits of Floods project, a collaboration between the Decodifica Institute and grassroots collectives from four Rio favelas and northeastern Pernambuco, aimed to capture the impacts of heavy rainfall on these communities.

The Acari survey was conducted by the Fala Akari Collective using a Citizen-Generated Data (CGD) approach, where residents themselves collected data without the involvement of scientists or academic institutions. A total of 226 families were interviewed throughout 2025, creating detailed portraits of daily life before, during, and after floods.

The launch of the study took place at the Mothers of Acari Cultural Center as part of the Portraits of Floods Community Forum, an event dedicated to presenting the findings to the mapped community and collaboratively developing solutions based on residents' demands. The Complexo de Acari favela, spanning over 160 hectares, is situated in Rio’s North Zone and borders five neighborhoods, and is directly influenced by the Acari River, which originates in the Baixada Fluminense region.

Due to its unique geography, with parts of the community at the same elevation as Guanabara Bay and others below sea level, the favela is highly vulnerable to flooding.