The Amazon and its tributaries are suffering from the worst drought in at least 120 years. Climate change, El Niño and deforestation are causing catastrophic conditions – affecting people, animals and plants.

The Amazon basin is lacking what it previously had in abundance: water. The world’s most water-rich region is currently experiencing the worst drought since records began over 120 years ago. The consequences for the people, the regional economy and the flora and fauna of South America are severe. Experts are alarmed. There is no sign of the situation easing.

Water levels in some of the major rivers have recently fallen to unprecedented lows. The consequences: supply difficulties and dead animals. “There are hundreds of thousands of people across the states who are now suffering from this drought.” The Brazilian Amazon region spans nine states and covers an area equivalent to that of Western Europe. It is home to a breathtaking variety of plants and animals. According to estimates, one-fifth of the world’s fresh water flows through the world’s largest and most complex network of waterways.

The people living along the riverbanks are suffering the most. Many of them can normally only travel by boat on the rivers. Due to the low water levels, numerous boats have run aground, and supplying communities with water, food or medicines is becoming increasingly difficult. The government of Amazonas state has declared a state of emergency across all 62 districts. Almost 600,000 people are affected. “My husband went fishing and came back empty-handed because there were no fish.”The world’s largest rainforest – home to ten per cent of all species on the planet – has already been under threat for decades: from droughts, river pollution, fires and deforestation. Although deforestation has decreased since President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office at the start of the year, Brazil is still a long way from its stated goal of “zero deforestation”.

The interplay of climate change, El Niño and increasing deforestation is leading to a downward spiral of ever-worsening droughts and fires, says Edegar de Oliveira of the WWF. Greenpeace expert Batista adds: “We know that those who suffer most from the climate crisis are precisely those who have contributed least to global warming.”

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