Main Amazon River Tributary Falls to All-Time Low

Environmentalists say climate change and global warming are not only drying up rivers in the Amazon but also causing unprecedented wildfires, destroying the parched vegetation.

A water barge ran aground on a sandbar in the Solimoes River. (Source: Reuters).

On September 30, the water level of the Solimoes River , one of the two largest tributaries of the Amazon River in Brazil, dropped to an all-time low, disrupting the lives of residents in coastal villages. This is the result of the most severe drought on record in the Amazon region.

According to the Brazilian Civil Defense Agency, in Manacapuru, about 100km upstream from the capital of Manaus in the state of Amazonas, where the Solimoes River joins the Rio Negro to form the majestic Amazon River, the depth of the Solimoes River is only about 3m, 11cm lower than the record low recorded on October 25 last year.

As it is still the dry season, experts predict that the water level of the Solimoes River, which flows down from the Andes in Peru, will continue to fall in the coming weeks, exacerbating the crisis for communities living along the river.

The villages are now isolated because there is no means of transport across the shallow water. Instead of travelling by boat, villagers have to walk for 2 hours across the open riverbed to get home.

In particular, residents here are lacking both food and water, as fish resources are depleted and domestic water sources are also decreasing.

Environmentalists say climate change and global warming are not only drying up rivers in the Amazon but also causing unprecedented wildfires, destroying the parched vegetation.