Drought Devastates Amazonian Communities: A Struggle for Water and Connectivity

Water levels in Amazon rivers have drastically dropped due to record droughts, posing severe challenges for the Ribeirinhos people who depend on these rivers for drinking water and transportation. The situation has forced communities to rely on external water supplies and has hindered their ability to reach markets and sustain livelihoods.

Water levels in the rivers that run through the vast Amazon rainforest have been falling after a record drought followed by less rain, presenting unprecedented challenges for the Ribeirinhos people living there.

With rivers becoming more difficult to navigate and water too dirty to consume, many traditional rural residents living on riverbanks have been relying on outside supplies of drinking water. Francisca das Chagas da Silva, a resident, mentioned that older people in particular have struggled as they needed to walk much further to get water. "We have to carry it from the riverbanks to our homes," she said.

The Ribeirinhos usually get water directly from rivers or have connected systems, but these means of supply fail when water levels drop so dramatically. Now, many residents rely on non-governmental organizations or the state government for drinking water.

Joao Ferreira Mendonca, a community leader, said the riverbank was about 800 meters (0.5 miles) away from some homes, a long distance for an older person or one with health problems. "Now imagine a person in the hot sun, people with high blood pressure, doing this journey," he added.

The Brazilian Geological Service, SGB, has warned in recent days that all rivers in the Amazon basin are expected to drop below their historical levels. Ribeirinhos - who usually live on riverbanks in pile dwellings and move using motorboats - are finding life increasingly challenging.

Rosicleia Gomes Vieira, another resident, said life in general was becoming much more isolated because low water levels make navigation difficult, rendering it impossible to carry produce to the city. Besides the rivers, which have long been the main transport route for residents, there is only a long dirt road that cuts through the dense rainforest.

In Brazil, where wildfires have also occurred, low water levels are hitting soy and corn shipments in center-west states such as Mato Grosso, Brazil's top grain-growing region.

(With inputs from agencies.)