The second largest tributary of the Amazon in Brazil has reached the lowest water level in its history. The water level of the Rio Negro was 12.66 meters, the Geological Survey of Brazil (SGB) reported. This is the lowest value since 1902.
Parts of the river in the provincial capital Manaus are already dry due to the severe drought. Many residents on the river banks can usually only travel across the rivers by boat. However, the boats have now run aground, making it more difficult to provide communities with water, food or medicine (see video above).
“If my boat is on land here, I don’t make any money,” resident Raimundo Filho told the news portal “G1”. According to forecasts, the level of the Rio Negro could drop further in the coming days.
Drought after floods
In Brazil, where most of the Amazon region is located, more than a third of the national territory is affected by extreme drought. It is the most serious drought since systematic measurements began in 1950. Experts see a connection with the weather phenomenon El Niño and climate change.
“The years 2021 and 2022 were characterized by major floods, the years 2023 and 2024 by major droughts. This is an indication that extremes are becoming more common,” said the national coordinator of the SGB hydrological warning system, Artur Matos.
Source: Krone
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