In Brazil, the Amazon basin is experiencing a severe drought at the start of the dry season, with many rivers already at alarmingly low levels, leading governments to prepare contingency plans for issues such as disrupted navigation and increased forest fires. The Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, comprising several South American countries, highlighted the significant impacts of the drought on member nations like Bolivia, Peru, and Brazil.
Water levels in some rivers in the southwestern Amazon are currently at the lowest levels ever recorded for this time of year. Historically, August and September are the driest months, coinciding with peak fire and deforestation seasons. Brazil recently declared a water shortage in the Madeira and Purus basins, covering an area almost the size of Mexico, while the state of Acre declared an emergency due to impending water shortages. Nearby Amazonas state took similar measures in several municipalities.
Compared to last year, the response to the drought has been quicker this year to mitigate the effects of the crisis. The Madeira River, a crucial waterway for transportation and agriculture, has seen significantly reduced depths earlier than in previous years, affecting navigation and potentially impacting hydroelectric plants. In regions like Envira, shallow rivers are causing navigation issues, prompting authorities to relocate vulnerable populations to urban centers.
Besides water shortages, there is a growing concern about the escalation of fires in the region, with around 25,000 fires recorded from January to late July, the highest number in nearly two decades for that period. Most fires in the Amazon are human-induced and utilized for land management practices. In Acre, water supply shortages have affected communities in the capital, Rio Branco, forcing them to rely on water deliveries, exacerbating challenges faced during the previous year’s drought and subsequent floods.
The consecutive extreme weather events experienced over the past two years are posing a serious threat of food shortages in the Amazon region. Severe flooding damaged crops initially, followed by an exceptionally dry planting period, further impacting food production. The complex challenges posed by these environmental crises require coordinated efforts at the local, regional, and national levels to ensure the well-being of communities and ecosystems in the Amazon basin.
