Madeira River,another main tributary of the Amazon,has also recorded historically low levels,causing the halt of the Santo Antonio hydroelectric dam,Brazil’s fourth largest.
Throughout the Brazilian Amazon,low river levels have left hundreds of riverine communities isolated and struggling to access drinkable water. The drought also has disrupted commercial navigation that supplies Manaus,a city of 2 million with a large industrial park.
Manaus is the largest city and capital of Amazonas,the state hit hardest by the drought. In late September,55 of its 62 municipalities entered states of emergency due to the severe drought.
“There is no more water to go through. Navigation is over,” boatman Cledson Lopes Brasil said.
Brasil operates in Marina do Davi port,a getaway to dozens of riverine communities,some of them with sandy beaches that attract tourists. The once bustling area is now surrounded by parched soil,with many boathouses left high and dry.
For a month now,Brasil has switched to a lower-powered boat,better suited for shallow waters. Still,he can’t reach most communities along Taruma-Açu,a tributary of the Negro River. Some riverine dwellers must walk up to three hours to reach their houses,and tourism has stopped altogether.