For the second year in a row, record-breaking drought in the Amazon has caused environmental havoc and left entire communities stranded. Water levels in the major Amazonian rivers have dropped to historical lows. And because they serve as the main transport conduit in the region, the consequences of critically low water levels that prevent boat traffic are far-reaching for all segments of the population. This year’s calamity had long been foretold. The Brazilian government announced in mid-June an investment of 505 million reais ($90 million) in licenses for dredging stretches of the Amazon River and two of its main tributaries, the Solimões and Madeira, over the next five years. That amount is almost four times what was spent in emergency response to 2023’s drought. The move came as a result of months of negotiations between the federal government and the state of Amazonas, where industries’ economic output dropped by 16.6% because they couldn’t get supplies in or commodities out by boat during the last drought. Brazil’s Ministry of Ports and Airports has called the proposed dredging operation “the largest volume of dredging in the history of the Amazon.” The National Department of Transport Infrastructure, DNIT, told Mongabay in an email that it would collect sediment from the riverbed using a suction mechanism, and then pump it to a different location to increase water levels in a particular channel. A dredger at work in the Madeira River. The Brazilian government announced an investment of 505 million reais ($90 million) for dredging…This article was originally published on Mongabay
Brazil dredges Amazon rivers to ease drought isolation, raising environmental concerns
