The worst drought on record has drastically lowered water levels across the Amazon Basin, with rivers that were once navigable now drying up completely. The Solimões River, one of the Amazon’s main tributaries, has fallen to its lowest level on record in Tabatinga, a Brazilian town near the Colombian border.
In Tefé, a branch of the Solimões has dried up entirely, as seen by Reuters reporters.
Nearby Lake Tefé, which saw over 200 freshwater dolphins die during last year’s drought, has also dried up, depriving the endangered pink dolphins of their habitat. Greenpeace spokesperson Romulo Batista emphasized the immediate and forceful impact of climate change, stating, “Climate change is here, and it’s hitting harder than we expected.”
In Tabatinga, the Solimões is 4.25 meters below average for September. In Tefé, the river has dropped 2.92 meters below last year’s level and is expected to fall further, reaching an all-time low. Manaus, the Amazon’s largest city, is seeing the Rio Negro approach last year’s record-low level. Indigenous leader Kambeba noted, “This year, the drought has worsened.”
The consecutive years of severe drought have also sparked wildfires across Brazil and other South American nations, engulfing cities in clouds of smoke.
