Water levels in the rivers that flow through the huge Amazon rainforest have dropped following a record Drought in the Amazon followed by little rain, posing unprecedented challenges for the Ribeirinhos people who live there. With rivers becoming more difficult to travel and water becoming unsafe to drink, many of the traditional rural population who live on river banks have had to rely on outside sources of drinking water.

Francisca das Chagas da Silva, a resident, stated that senior people, in particular, have struggled because they must walk considerably longer to obtain water. “We have to carry it from the riverbanks to our homes,” she said. The Ribeirinhos typically acquire their water directly from rivers or through connected systems. However, these sources of supply fail when water levels decrease substantially. Many residents rely on non-governmental organisations or the state government to provide drinking water.

According to Joao Ferreira Mendonca, a community leader, the river bank was approximately 800 meters (0.5 miles) away from some residences, which is a lengthy trip for an older adult or someone with health issues. “Now imagine a person in the hot sun, people with high blood pressure, doing this journey,” he said.

The Brazilian Geological Service (SGB) has just warned that all rivers in the Amazon basin are anticipated to go below historical levels. Ribeirinhos typically live on riverbanks in pile huts, from which they go by motorboat.

Another resident, Rosicleia Gomes Vieira, stated that life was becoming increasingly isolated as low water levels made sailing more difficult and transporting produce to the city impossible. Aside from the rivers, which have traditionally been people’s primary mode of transportation, there is just one lengthy dirt road that runs through the deep rainforest.

Studies show that crops deteriorate and fish numbers decline as waterways dry up, affecting riverside towns that rely on fishing for a living. The present Drought in the Amazon is reminiscent of a 41-year drought that claimed the lives of 200,000 people. El Niño is causing the drought to worsen in the Central Pacific Ocean. El Niño is a climate phenomenon where the ocean top in the central and eastern tropical Pacific warms up. El Niño has caused severe Drought in Amazon and forest fires in Brazil’s Roraima state. El Niño and deforestation in the Amazon basin caused droughts in Ethiopia and neighbouring African nations, killing over 200,000 people in 1982.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that changes in global climate systems since 1975 have exacerbated the effects of El Niño. This continuous disaster underlines the critical need for immediate action to combat climate change and conserve the Amazon rainforest.

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