Amazon: Drought leads Acre state to declare environmental emergency
Due to limited rainfall, low relative humidity, rising temperatures, and risk of fires, the government of Acre state, in North Brazil, has declared an environmental emergency in 22 municipalities. The decision is valid until the end of the year.
In addition, a crisis cabinet has been set up by the local government to take measures to mitigate the drought situation in the state and the impact on the people.
In Rio Branco, the state capital, the Acre river was reported to have lowered to 1.54m on Wednesday (Jul. 24). The data indicate a reduction of two centimeters from Tuesday (23), with the river close to reaching its worst level in history: 1.25m in September 2022. The city council said it has been distributing over 200 thousand liters of water daily to 32 communities in the capital.
In Epitaciolândia, on Acre’s border with Bolivia, the lack of water affects 18 thousand citizens.
In the town of Feijó, in addition to the problems related to water shortages, the decree warns that the level of the rivers and streams could cause the isolation of riverside residents and indigenous people “due to the lack of navigability of the water sources, causing various problems in the supply of food and other supplies” for the people. The municipalities of Cruzeiro do Sul and Porto Walter are facing the same plight.
In Cruzeiro do Sul, the adverse climatic conditions stemming from prolonged drought, high temperatures, heat waves, low relative humidity, and intense winds make forest fires more likely to occur.
