MANAUS, Brazil, Oct 4 (Reuters) – The river port in Manaus, the largest city in the Amazon rainforest, has recorded its lowest water level since 1902 due to an ongoing drought that is crippling transportation of grain exports and essential supplies in the region.
Since last year, the Amazon and much of South America have experienced below-average rainfall even during the rainy season, contributing to what are now the worst wildfires in over a decade in Brazil and Bolivia. Researchers attribute this crisis primarily to climate change, with scientists forecasting that the Amazon will not fully regain moisture levels until 2026.
The drought escalated into a humanitarian crisis last year when communities reliant on river transport were left stranded without access to food, clean water, or medical supplies. This year, authorities are on high alert. In the severely affected Amazonas state, more than 62 municipalities are currently under states of emergency, impacting over half a million people, according to the local civil defense agency.
“This is now the most severe drought in over 120 years of measurements at the Port of Manaus,” said Valmir Mendonca, the port’s operations chief. He warned that the river levels may continue to dwindle for another week or two.
With the region experiencing below-normal seasonal rains, many effects of last year’s drought are likely to resurface or worsen. The Port of Manaus reported that the level of the Rio Negro reached 12.66 meters on Friday, surpassing the previous historic low recorded last year, and continues to decline. The Rio Negro is a significant tributary of the Amazon River, the world’s largest river by volume. The port is located near the “meeting of the waters,” where the dark waters of the Negro River converge with the sandy-colored Solimoes, which also recorded a low this week.
Grain shipments on the Madeira River, another tributary of the Amazon, have been halted due to the low water levels, as reported by a port association last month. Researchers have also discovered carcasses of freshwater river dolphins in the Amazon, attributing their deaths to reduced water levels that force the endangered species into closer proximity with humans.
Cemaden, Brazil’s national disaster monitoring agency, has labelled this drought as the worst since at least the 1950s. The drought is also adversely impacting hydropower plants, the primary source of electricity in Brazil. In response, energy authorities have approved a return to daylight saving time to conserve energy, pending presidential approval.
The extreme weather conditions are affecting vast areas of South America, with the Paraguay River also experiencing record low water levels. This river originates in Brazil and flows through Paraguay and Argentina before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean.
The same extreme heat and dryness are fueling a surge in fires in the Amazon and the adjacent Pantanal, known as the world’s largest wetlands. In Bolivia, data from Brazil’s space agency indicates that the country is on track to break records for the most fires ever recorded.
Credit: Reuters
