The Amazon River in the heart of the Brazilian rainforest sank to its lowest level in almost a century as a record drought disrupted the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and harmed the jungle ecosystem.
Rapidly drying tributaries to the Amazon have stranded boats, cutting off food and water supplies to distant settlements, while high water temperatures are suspected of killing over 100 endangered river dolphins.
Low Water Levels
The port of Manaus, the region's most populated city, at the confluence of the Rio Negro and the Amazon River, reported 13.59 meters (44.6 ft) of water, compared to 17.60 a year ago.
This is the lowest level recorded since records began in 1902, surpassing the previous all-time low reached in 2010.
Pedro Mendonca, a rainforest hamlet near Manaus, was relieved late last week when a Brazilian NGO sent supplies to his riverbank community.
"We have gone three months without rain here in our community," said Mendonca, who lives in Santa Helena do Ingles, west of Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state. "It is much hotter than past droughts."
According to the Brazilian government's disaster alarm service, Cemaden, some sections of the Amazon have had the least rain from July through September since 1980.
The Amazon has previously endured droughts, but it is now experiencing "simultaneous disasters," according to Ayan Santos Fleischmann, a hydrologist at the Mamirauá Institute, a research institution based in Tefé.
Scarce rain, blistering heat, and boiling water temperatures are all pounding the region at the same time.
"This is a crisis - a humanitarian, environmental and health crisis," said Dr. Fleischmann. "And what scares us most is what lies ahead."
Read Also: Evidence Shows Overexploitation of Freshwater Fishes in the Amazon River
El Niño Climate Phenomenon
The drought is being blamed on the advent of the El Niño climate phenomenon this year, which is causing extreme weather patterns around the world, according to Brazil's Science Ministry.
The ministry stated earlier this month that it expects the drought to endure until at least December, when El Niño's effects are expected to peak.
El Niño is a long-term trend caused by global warming, which is causing increasingly frequent and intense extreme weather events such as drought and heat.
But according to recent research, climate change, deforestation, and fires have made it more difficult for the Amazon to recover from catastrophic droughts.
The civil defense office in the state of Amazonas, where Manaus is located, said the drought has affected 481,000 people.
Workers from the Brazilian NGO Fundaço Amazônia Sustentável spread out throughout the dry region near Manaus late last week to provide food and supplies to vulnerable settlements.
The drought has jeopardized their access to food, water, and medications, all of which are typically transported by river.
Some sections are still approachable by canoe, according to Nelson Mendonca, a community leader in Santa Helena do Ingles, but many boats have been unable to deliver supplies along the river, so most products are arriving by tractors or on foot.
Luciana Valentin, who also resides in Santa Helena do Ingles, expressed concern about the purity of the local water supply following the drought.
"Our children are getting diarrhea, vomiting, and often having fever because of the water," she went on to say.
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