As the Amazon drought deepens, public authorities in Brazil are engaged in delivering food and water to thousands of isolated communities throughout a vast and roadless territory where boats are the only means of transportation. Across Amazonas state, 59 out of its 62 municipalities (自治市) are under a state of emergency, impacting 633,000 people. In the capital Manaus, Negro River — a major tributary (支流) of the Amazon — has reached its lowest level since official measurements began 121 years ago.
On Tuesday, the municipality distributed emergency kits using a large ship originally designed to transport cattle. Distribution sites were parked miles away, requiring residents, most of whom were small farmers and fishermen, to walk long distances through former riverbeds that have turned into endless sand banks and mud. Each family received a basic food package and 20L of water, enough for just a few days but a heavy burden to carry in the extreme heat. “I will have to carry the food package on my back for half an hour,” said a small farmer. He said the biggest problem is getting drinkable water. To reach the closest source demands a long walk from his house.
“Everybody in Careiro da Varzea has been affected by the drought,” said Jean Costa de Souza, chief of Civil Defense of Careiro da Varzea, a municipality of 19,600 people, most living in rural areas. “Unfortunately, people don’t have water. Some lost their crops, while others couldn’t transport their output.” Costa de Souza said the municipality will finish the first round of deliveries to all rural communities next week. The other two rounds are under planning, waiting for aid from state and federal governments.
Dry periods of time are part of the Amazon’s cyclical (周期的) weather pattern, with lighter rainfall from May to October for most of the rainforest. The season is being further stretched this year by two climate phenomena: the warming of northern tropical Atlantic Ocean waters and El Niño — the warming of surface waters in the Equatorial Pacific region — which will peak between December and January.
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