Since the formation of the city of Rio de Janeiro sanitation has always been a critical issue for the urbanization process and until today marginalized regions such as favelas suffer from serious problems regarding this service. The thesis in question aims to investigate the relationship between the environmental injustices produced by these spatial inequalities and the solutions brought about through social mobilization, taking a closer look at the Nova Holanda slum, in the Maré group of favelas. The research brings evidence from data collected through interviews and participant observation about the role of residents and civil society organizations in claiming rights not guaranteed by the government in basic sanitation. It is assumed that environmental injustices are a consequence of this social structure commanded by certain racial attributes that historically privilege a portion of the population. By highlighting this relationship, it is possible to think of decision-making processes and popular participation that embrace identity diversity as a founding role in narratives that include residents as subjects of rights.