Brasilia, Brazil — Possessing one-fifth of the world’s fresh water, the Amazonia The dry season begins with many of its rivers already at critically low levels, forcing governments to anticipate contingency measures to address problems ranging from the interruption of navigation to the increase in forest fires.
“The Amazon basin faces one of the most severe droughts in recent years in 2024, with significant impacts in several member countries”, indicated a technical note issued on Wednesday by the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, which includes Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela.
In several rivers in the southwestern Amazon, water levels are the lowest on record for this time of year. Historically, the driest months are August and September, when fires and deforestation are at their peak. At the moment, the most affected countries are Bolivia, Peru and Brazil, according to ACTO.
Brazil’s federal water agency declared water shortages on Monday in two major river basins, the Madeira and Purus, which cover an area almost the size of Mexico. The next day, the state of Acre declared an emergency due to the looming water shortage in its main city. In June, the neighboring state of Amazonas adopted the same measure in 20 of its 62 municipalities, most of which are only accessible by water or air, even in normal times.
The moves come more than two months earlier than in 2023, when much of the Amazon basin suffered the worst drought on record, killing dozens of river dolphins, choking cities with smoke for months and isolating thousands of people who relied on water transport. The measures serve to increase surveillance, mobilize resources and request federal aid.
The depth of the Madeira River, one of the largest tributaries of the Amazon and an important waterway for soybeans and fuel, fell below 10 feet near Porto Velho on July 20.In 2023, that happened on August 15. Navigation has been restricted overnight, and two of Brazil’s largest hydroelectric plants could suspend production, something that already happened last year.
In the Amazonian town of Envira, nearby rivers are too low for navigation. Local authorities have asked elderly people and pregnant women to move from riverside communities to the town centre because otherwise medical care might not reach them. Farmers who produce cassava flour cannot bring it to market. As a result, The price of this staple food in the Amazon has more than doubledaccording to the local government.
Another concern is fires. Between January and the end of July, around 25,000 cases were recorded.the worst figure in this period in almost two decades. In the Amazon, most of them are caused by man and are used to control pastures and clear deforested areas.
In Acre, the drought has already caused water shortages in several areas of its capital, Rio Branco. These communities now rely on water tankers, a problem they also faced last year. Between the two droughts, 19 of the 22 state municipalities suffered severe flooding..
“It has been two consecutive years of extreme phenomena,” Julie Messias, Acre’s environment secretary, told The Associated Press.The result is that we are facing a threat of food shortages. First the crops were flooded and now the planting season is very dry.”.