Locals know when Sao Paulo's rains are heaviest to allow extra time to reach the international airport in suburban Guarulhos. That's because are probably blocking the way the sewage-laced waters of the Tiete River. This month Sao Paulo, seeking to stanch annual flooding in the heart of South America's biggest city, is completing a 1 billion real ($470 million) rehabilitation of the river. And during the past three years, crews have pulled 15,000 metric tons of filth from the Tiete to expand the channel, including junked cars, 120,000 tires and the carcasses of cattle and horses. In March when the peak of the rainy season in Sao Paulo, the Tiete's flooding triggers 100-kilometer (60-mile) traffic jams, slowing commerce in the country's financial center to a crawl.

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