A severe drought has dropped water levels on a major Amazon tributary to their lowest point since officials began keeping records more than a century ago, the Brazilian government reported on Monday, cutting off dozens of communities who depend on the river for work and transportation.
Floating homes along the Rio Negro now rest on muddy flats, and locals have had to modify boats to run in shallower waters in a region without roads.
The drought is hurting fishing, cattle, agriculture and other businesses, prompting authorities to declare a state of emergency in nearly 40 municipalities.
The government’s geological service said on Monday that the Rio Negro was measured at a depth of 13.63m the previous day near the city of Manaus, the lowest since a measuring system was implemented in 1902. The previous low was 13.64m, recorded in 1963.
An engineer and hydrology expert with the geological service said rains in remote parts of the Amazon will begin raising river levels, but it will take time for that water to reach Manaus.
In June last year, the Rio Negro hit a record high of 29.71m following months of heavy rains.
At that time, flooding across the Amazon basin left more than 400,000 homeless and killed more than 50 people.
Cycles of flooding and drought have been common in the world’s largest remaining tropical wilderness, but have been more extreme recently. Many suspect global warming could be driving the whipsaw changes.
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