Tons of dead fish float on the Amazon and the cause is climatic. The severe drought that is punishing the Brazilian Amazon (with rivers at minimum levels) and the high temperatures of recent days (close to 40ºC) caused the death of thousands of fish last Thursday as the acidity of the waters increased, in the lagoons of the Environmental Reserve for Sustainable Development of Lago do Piranha.
The reduction in rainfall and the increase in temperatures are factors that can be explained, in part, by the El Niño phenomenon, a climate event related to the warming of the Pacific Ocean; but the effects of the climate crisis, the deforestation that the region has suffered (and is suffering) and the multiplication of forest fires also influence.
The catastrophe occurred in Manacapuru, a municipality on the banks of the Amazon River that is about 84 kilometers away from Manaus, the main city of this tropical jungle. In the state of Amazonas, 59 of its 62 municipalities are on alert due to the reduction in river levels and according to the Civil Defense of Amazonas, some 80,000 people are affected by the drought, according to data collected by EFE.
The drought has also left 24 municipalities isolated since the reduction in river levels made it impossible for boats to arrive, the only means of transportation in areas without roads or landing strips.
The current drought in the Amazon is one of the most serious in recent years and is expected to be more intense and prolonged this year because the El Niño phenomenon is preventing cloud formation in the region. For this reason, the Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and the governor of the state of Amazonas, Wilson Lima, met last Tuesday in a meeting in which they guaranteed the financial and logistical support of the national government to this region. After this, Lima announced the so-called Operation Drought, which seeks to guarantee the supply of food, fuel and water in the state of Amazonas.
Despite being considered one of the largest reserves of fresh water in the world, towns such as Manacapuru (where the massive death of fish has occurred) depend on the drinking water sent to them by Civil Defense in tankers to be able to drink.
The day before the fish died, record temperatures were recorded in the Amazon. In Manaus, thermometers reached 38.7ºC, making the city the hottest day of the year, according to data from the National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet). The historical record for this town was 39.0 ºC in 2015, but the forecast is that this level will be surpassed this year. Likewise, in Manacapuru the temperature also reached 39.1ºC on Wednesday.
The rise in temperature caused the relative air humidity in Manaus to fall to 39%, well below the ideal level of between 60% and 80% recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
