The Amazon Rainforest’s main rivers are drying out due to an unprecedented drought exacerbated by climate change. Levels have continued to drop since Mongabay’s Sept 9. feature by Fernanda Wenzel.
Major rivers such as the Madeira and Negro continue to beat record lows, disrupting life for Indigenous communities and raising concerns about economic and environmental impacts.
On the 1,450-kilometer (900-mile) Madeira River, responsible for 15% of the water in the Amazon Basin, levels dropped to just 53 centimeters (21 inches) on Sept. 16 in Rondônia state in northwest Brazil, well below previous records. At the end May, the river held 9.6 meters (31.5 feet) of water.
Three other large rivers — Negro, Solimões and Purus — are also heavily impacted by the extended drought. On Sept. 16, the Purus River, which runs from Peru to northwest Brazil, was more than 2 m (7 ft) below its previously held 1983 historic low.
“This could be the most serious drought the Amazon has ever experienced,” Adriana Cuartas, a hydrology researcher at Brazil’s National Center for Monitoring and Early Warning of Natural Disasters (CEMADEN), told Mongabay.
Low water levels have isolated riverine and Indigenous communities, forcing people to walk long distances along dried riverbeds instead.
The drought is impacting hydropower, pushing up electricity prices, while respiratory issues rise due to poor air quality and low humidity. Shipping disruptions may also cause local prices for basic amenities to spike.
Experts warn that conditions could worsen in the coming months, as no significant rainfall is in sight.
“More records will be broken,” Ana Paula Cunha, a drought researcher also from CEMADEN, told Mongabay. “The next round of rain is expected to be delayed, so you can expect more rain only in November, or even later.”
The crisis is also raising fears of another dolphin die-off. In 2023, 209 dolphins died as water temperatures suddenly spiked.
Brazil is facing its worst fire season in 19 years, with wildfires raging across two-thirds of the country and covering the continent in smoke. Scientists blame deforestation, global climate change and changes in ocean temperatures for the worsening situation.
Amazon’s drought and fires are part of a broader climate shift that could become the “new normal,” Cunha told Mongabay, with severe droughts and floods becoming more frequent across Brazil.
Banner image: Indigenous Tikuna families struggle to reach their villages as boats get stuck in the almost-empty rivers. Image courtesy of Márcio Correa Cumapa/Amaturá civil defense.
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