over the late 20th century, praia de sepetiba became polluted and lost the prestige of the old days.

in fact today, unfortunately, like the other beaches in the sepetiba bay, praia de sepetiba is not suitable for swimming or fishing due to pollution.

the beach became run down and large areas of mud clouded the waterfront, along with trash and debris.

in the early 2000's, activists within the community began campaigning for improvements for praia de sepetiba.