The report, cited by the state-run Agencia Brasil, states that the districts of Presidente Figueiredo and Apuí, which previously had a normal situation, now continue to be in a state of alert, with 608,000 people and 152,000 families affected to date affected by the drought.
According to the bulletin, in the period from January to October 25, 18,170 heat sources were registered in the territorial department, including 2.5 thousand in the metropolitan area of Manaus, the state capital.
In October alone there were 3,368 heat sources, more than double the number in the same period last year when 1,335 were recorded.
The Civil Defense also said that between July 12 and October 25, firefighters fought 2,482 fires, including 710 in Manaus and 1,772 inland.
In Manaus, the drought is the worst in 121 years and the level of the Negro River remained at 12.7 meters this Friday, the lowest ever recorded since 1902, when measurements of runoff in the tributary began.
The highest level measured was 30.02 meters on June 16, 2021.
Such a scenario occurs at a time when the El Niño phenomenon is intensifying, characterized by the weakening of the trade winds (which blow from east to west) and by the abnormal warming of surface waters in the eastern part of the equatorial region of the ocean. Peaceful.
Depending on the source, these changes in the interaction between the ocean surface and the lower atmosphere occur at time intervals ranging from three to seven years and impact the climate in different parts of the planet.
This is because the dynamics of air masses in the Pacific Ocean are adopting new patterns of moisture transport that affect the temperature and distribution of precipitation.
Due to drought in the Madeira River, which feeds the dam in the Amazon, operations at the Santo Antonio hydroelectric plant, Brazil’s fourth-largest energy producer, were suspended on October 2.
The measure was announced by Santo Antonio Energía, operator of the unit that bears the company’s name.
This hydroelectric power station supplies several regions of the country. With 50 turbines, it has an installed capacity of 3,568 megawatts.
Santo Antonio claimed that the interruption was to “preserve the integrity of the hydroelectric plants” because the amount of water was too small for the turbines to function.
rgh/ocs