Depth of Major Amazon Tributary in Brazil Reaches Record Low Amid Severe Drought, Reports Reuters

By Bruno Kelly

MANACAPURU, Brazil – The Solimoes River, one of the largest tributaries of the Amazon in Brazil, has reached an unprecedented low mark, coinciding with the worst drought on record in the Amazon region. This severe situation has left nearby villages stranded, facing critical shortages of food, water, and transportation.

In Manacapuru, located approximately 100 km (63 miles) upriver from Manaus, the depth of the Solimoes has shrunk to just 3 m (9.8 feet), as reported by the Civil Defense agency. This level is 11 cm (4.3 inches) lower than the previous record low set in October 2022.

As the dry season continues for nearly another month before the rains arrive, it is anticipated that water levels in the Solimoes, which originates in the Andes of Peru, will drop even further. This worsening scenario is intensifying the difficulties faced by communities along the river.

Many villages have been rendered isolated, as the water level is too low for boats, leaving residents without a means of transportation and facing significant shortages of food and, more urgently, drinking water. The riverbed has turned into extensive sandbanks, requiring villagers to undertake a two-hour trek under the scorching sun to reach their homes while carrying their groceries.

"This is very hard. Every day we have to make this long walk along the sand," shared Taciara Souza Oliveira, a young local woman.

Numerous boats have been left stranded on the banks of the river, while others are trapped in puddles that were once navigable waterways.

"The drought is severe and worsening. We still have another month of dry season ahead. We have to endure this hardship to return home," stated resident Manuel de Castro.

Fishing, which serves as a primary source of protein for river communities and Indigenous people of the rainforest, has significantly declined as fish populations have vanished or died in the increasingly warm, shallow waters.

Environmentalists attribute these conditions to climate change and global warming, which are drying up rivers in the Amazon and exacerbating wildfires that devastate the region’s already parched vegetation.