Extreme drought is affecting the central regions of Brazil. A state of emergency has been declared in more than 140 municipalities. In some, water is being delivered by tankers.
The most dramatic situation is in the state of Minas Gerais, said Maria Celeste, head of the non-governmental organization Observatory of Justice and Conservation (OJC). She added that the “increasingly widespread lack of water” is leading to damage to agriculture, causing declines in production.
Brazilian media report that the increasing drought, along with the systematic drying up of rivers, has forced many municipalities to bring in drinking water by tanker trucks. In total, a state of emergency has been declared in over 140 municipalities.
Water level at record low in Branco River in western BrazilRAPHAEL ALVES/EPA/PAP
“One of the most serious droughts in recent years”
“The Amazon basin is facing one of the most severe droughts in recent years in 2024, which will have serious consequences,” the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), which brings together countries such as Bolivia, Ecuador, Brazil, and Colombia, said in a statement a few days ago. ACTO admitted that the dry season came earlier than expected this year.
In turn, the Brazilian National Water Agency (ANA) noted that the rapid drying of water in the country's two main basins, the Madeira and the Purus, is a particularly worrying phenomenon for state authorities. “During the rainy season, i.e. between November and April, rainfall in the area of ​​both rivers was significantly different from the average of previous years,” the agency reported.
Main image source: RAPHAEL ALVES/EPA/PAP