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Drought shrinks river that feeds the Amazon to lowest level ever recorded

One of the Amazon River's main tributaries has dropped to its lowest level ever recorded, Brazil's geological service said Friday, reflecting a severe drought that has devastated the Amazon rainforest and other parts of the country.

Water level of Brazil's Negro River has dropped far below normal levels amid unusually intense dry season

The Associated Press ·
An aerial shot shows a city skyline at the edge of what should be a river, but is instead a bare stretch of brown dirt. A small stranded boat is visible, as well as a large pool of water in one spot.
A part of the Negro River is dry at the Brazilian port of Manaus on Friday, amid severe drought. (Edmar Barros/The Associated Press)

One of the Amazon River's main tributaries has dropped to its lowest level ever recorded, Brazil's geological service said Friday, reflecting a severe drought that has devastated the Amazon rainforest and other parts of the country.

The level of the Negro River at the port of Manaus was at 12.66 metres on Friday, compared to a normal level of about 21 metres. The previous record low level was recorded last year, but toward the end of October.

Two composite images of the same aerial shot of a city port. The bottom image shows the port full of water, with docks and boats. The top image shows the same location, but the river is dried out to just brown mud near the buildings, with just a little bit of water visible farther out.
This is what the Negro River in Manaus, Brazil, looked like on Sept. 25 (top), compared to the same location months earlier, on June 19. (Edmar Barros/The Associated Press)

The Negro River's water level might drop even further in coming weeks based on forecasts for low rainfall in upstream regions, according to the geological service's predictions. Andre Martinelli, the agency's hydrology manager in Manaus, was quoted as saying the river was expected to continue receding until the end of the month.

A composite image shows two aerial shots of the same location. The bottom image shows a bridge over a full river. The top image shows the same location, but the bridge is largely over land, with the river shrunk to a thin ribbon.
Other rivers are also being impacted by the drought. In this composite photo of Manaus, part of the Sao Raimundo River that connects to the Negro River is seen on Sept. 25 (top) and at the same location on June 20. (Edmar Barros/The Associated Press)

Water levels in Brazil's Amazon always rise and fall with its rainy and dry seasons, but the dry portion of this year has been much worse than usual. All of the major rivers in the Amazon basin are at critical levels, including the Madeira River, the Amazon River's longest tributary.

The Negro River drains about 10 per cent of the Amazon basin and is the world's sixth-largest by water volume. Manaus, the biggest city in the rainforest, is where the Negro joins the Amazon River.

A man in a blue sweater sits in a rowboat floating in water next to tall metal posts that vanish into the top of the image. He is leaning towards one, which has a depth marker on it with numbers showing the depth of the water.
Dock worker Francisco Ferreira Pinheiro reads a depth marker in the Negro River at the port in Manaus, Brazil, on Friday. (Edmar Barros/The Associated Press)
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