The forest and waters of Rio: The Public Works General Department and the urban interventions for water supply and reforestation at the first half of XIXth century

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the interconnectedness between the urban Tijuca’s forest and the Water Supply System in Rio de Janeiro city considering the activities of an Imperial government office, the Public Works General Department, between 1840 and 1860. This Department was ever controlled by a permanent staff of military engineers who have conducted a general project that focused on two fronts simultaneously: the reformulation of the city’s water supply network (reservoirs, pipelines, fountains, springs) and the reconstitution and protection of native woodlands, adjacent to the headwaters of the main rivers that supplied the city system.