Brazil dredges Amazon rivers to ease drought isolation, raising environmental concerns

For the second year in a row, record-breaking drought in the Amazon has caused environmental havoc and left entire communities stranded. Water levels in the major Amazonian rivers have dropped to historical lows. And because they serve as the main transport conduit in the region, the consequences of critically low water levels that prevent boat traffic are far-reaching for all segments of the population.

This year’s calamity had long been foretold. The Brazilian government announced in mid-June an investment of 505 million reais ($90 million) in licenses for dredging stretches of the Amazon River and two of its main tributaries, the Solimões and Madeira, over the next five years. That amount is almost four times what was spent in emergency response to 2023’s drought.

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