Extreme drought pushes Amazon Rivers to record-low, drying off riverbeds formerly passable waterways. The Solimoes, a major tributary of the Amazon River that originates in the Peruvian Andes, has reached its lowest level on record in Tabatinga, a Brazilian town on the Colombian border. On September 16, levels on the 1,450-kilometer (900-mile) Madeira River, which accounts for 15% of the Amazon Basin’s water, dropped to 53 centimetres (21 inches) in Rondônia state in northwest Brazil, much below historical records. The river had 9.6 meters (31.5 feet) of water at May’s end.

The extreme drought pushes Amazon Rivers to record-low, having a considerable influence on three large rivers: Negro, Solimões, and Purus. On September 16, the Purus River, which stretches from Peru to northwest Brazil, was more than 2 m (7 ft.) lower than its previous historic low in 1983.

“This could be the most serious drought the Amazon has ever experienced,” said Adriana Cuartas, a hydrology researcher at Brazil’s National Centre for Monitoring and Early Warning of Natural Disasters (CEMADEN).

Low water levels have isolated riverine and Indigenous communities, causing them to walk great distances over dry riverbeds. The drought is hampering hydropower and elevating electricity costs, while respiratory disorders are escalating because of poor air quality and low humidity levels. Shipping disturbances may also arise local costs for basic prerequisites. Experts warn that circumstances could worsen in the following months as no significant rainfall is expected.

The neighbouring Lake Tefé, where over 200 freshwater dolphins died during last year’s drought, has also dried up, robbing the rare pink creatures of their preferred habitat.

“We are going through a critical year,” said Greenpeace spokeswoman Romulo Batista, pointing to a section of the Solimoes riverbed that had transformed into dunes. “This year, several months have broken last year’s records.”

The second year of chronic drought has scorched most of Brazil’s vegetation and sparked wildfires across South American countries, obscuring cities in clouds of smoke.

“Climate change is no longer something to be concerned about in the next ten or twenty years. It’s here and far more powerful than we thought,” Batista remarked.

The Solimoes in Tabatinga were 4.25 meters lower than typical in the first half of September. At Tefé, the river was 2.92 meters lower than the average level for the same two weeks last year and is forecast to fall even farther to its lowest point.

In Manaus, the Amazon’s largest city, where the Solimoes joins the Rio Negro to form the Amazon River proper, the Rio Negro is approaching the record low set in October of last year.

“Last year, we were in this situation by October,” stated Indigenous leader Kambeba. “This year, the drought has gotten worse.”

Also Read: Historic Rainfall Cause Severe Floods In North Carolina