(Brasilia) The Brazilian government announced Thursday the sending of “emergency” humanitarian aid to the state of Amazonas, where part of the largest tropical forest in the world extends, to face a “extreme” drought.
The authorities are working with the local government on “emergency actions” in the face of “risks of supply of food, drinking water, as well as hygiene products and medicines” for the population, the press was told. the Minister of the Environment, Marina Silva.
According to the minister, 56 municipalities out of a total of 62 are threatened. As of Wednesday, a state of drought emergency had already been declared in 15 municipalities, affecting 111,000 people, according to a statement released by the state civil defense.
“It is expected that around 300,000 food baskets will be needed to help the population meet basic needs,” with logistical support from the Ministry of Defense, Ms.me Silva during an event in Brasilia.
In Amazonas, the largest Brazilian state of four million inhabitants, the vast majority of whom are indigenous, the extremely low water level has caused the death of several thousand fish, the main food resource.
Low water levels also affect river transport, which is essential in the region.
Amazonas Civil Defense has warned that the situation could worsen in the coming months, with below-normal rainfall, and affect some 500,000 people by the end of the year.
The region is currently suffering from the phenomenon El Niñowhich reduces the formation of clouds and therefore precipitation, and whose effects are becoming more and more intense.
This drought, which follows heavy rains in the first part of the year, reflects phenomena attributed by experts to climate change.
“Brazil is a vulnerable country” to climatic events, lamented Marina Silva, recalling the recent passage of a cyclone in the state of Rio Grande do Sul which caused the death of nearly 50 people.