BOGOTA, SEPT 27 – The Amazon River has experienced a reduction in water levels in Colombia by up to 90 percent, according to a government agency yesterday, as South America faces a severe and widespread drought.
The river, which is the world’s largest by volume and also flows through parts of Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana, and Suriname, has been severely affected by drought that has caused wildfires to spread across the continent.
“Water levels have dropped between 80 and 90 percent in the last three months due to drought caused by climate change,” Colombia’s National Disaster Risk Management Unit (UNGRD) said in a statement.
The lack of water has a significant impact on indigenous communities that depend on the river for food and transport, he added.
AFP have observed stranded boats around Leticia, the capital of southern Amazonas state, in recent days, with large areas exposed by low water levels.
The city, near the borders with Brazil and Peru, is a critical trading post along the Amazon River.
Residents said it was the worst drought in at least half a century.
Europe’s Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service said this week that forest fire activity in South America this year was ‘well above average’ especially in the Amazon region and in the Pantanal wetlands.
Fires are raging in Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil and Bolivia.
Ecuador, which relies on hydroelectric power, is facing severe power shortages due to its worst drought in six decades, and has implemented rolling blackouts and put 20 of its 24 provinces on red alert.
In Brazil, thick smoke has enveloped major cities such as Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, and Sao Paulo, with the smoke sometimes crossing the border into Argentina and Uruguay.
Colombia’s capital, Bogota, has been saving public water for months. – AFP
