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A6 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 18 OctOber 2023

In Brazil's Amazon, rivers fall to record low levels during drought

By FABIANO MAISONNAVE ning of the Amazon, with
Associated Press Negro as the second main
BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — The tributary. In international
Negro River, the Amazon's maps, however, the Ama-
second largest tributary, zon River begins in Peru.
on Monday reached its Philip Fearnside, an Ameri-
lowest level since official can researcher at the Bra-
measurements began zilian National Institute of
near Manaus 121 years Amazonian Research, a
ago. The record confirms public agency, expects
that this part of the world´s the situation to deteriorate,
largest rainforest is suffer- both during the ongoing
ing its worst drought, just a event and in the future with
little over two years after its increasing frequency and
most significant flooding. severity of similar events
In the morning, the water with climate change.
level in the city´s port went He said surface water in the
as low as 13.5 meters (44.3 eastern equatorial Pacific
feet), down from 30.02 me- Ocean is now warmer than
ters (98.5 feet) registered during the "Godzilla" El Niño
in June 2021 — its highest of 2015-2016 and is expand-
level on record. The Negro ing. In the Amazon, these
River drains about 10% of A little boy walks across a dry, cracked area of the Negro River near his houseboat during a Pacific warmings primar-
drought in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, Monday, Oct. 16, 2023.
the Amazon basin and is Associated Press ily lead to droughts in the
the world's sixth largest by northern part of the region.
water volume. and capital of Amazonas, boathouses high and dry. the likely cause of dozens Moreover, a warm water
Madeira River, another the state hit hardest by the For one month now, Bra- of river dolphin deaths in patch in the tropical North
main tributary of the Ama- drought. In late September, sil has switched to a low- Tefe Lake, near the Ama- Atlantic Ocean is causing
zon, has also recorded his- 55 of 62 municipalities there er-powered boat, better zon River. drought in the southern
torically low levels, causing entered states of emer- suited for shallow waters. This is a startling contrast part of the Amazon, similar
the halt of the Santo An- gency due to the severe Still, he can´t reach most to July 2021, when Negro to what happened in 2005
tonio hydroelectric dam, drought. communities along Taru- River waters took over part and 2010, according to re-
Brazil´s fourth largest. "There is no more water to ma-Açu, a tributary of the of the Manaus downtown searchers.
Throughout Brazil´s Ama- go through. Navigation is Negro River. Some riverine area. The historic flood, "The forecast is for the start
zon, low river levels have over," boatman Cledson dwellers must walk up to which also ruined crops of of the rains to be delayed
left hundreds of riverine Lopes Brasil told The Associ- three hours to reach their hundreds of riverine com- compared to normal, and
communities isolated and ated Press. houses — and tourism has munities, lasted for about for a drier-than-normal
struggling to get access Brasil operates in Marina stopped altogether. three months. rainy season," Fearnside
to drinkable water. The do Davi port, a getaway to Manaus and other nearby Negro River ends near said. "This could result not
drought also has disrupted dozens of riverine commu- cities are also suffering from Manaus, where it converg- only in extreme low water
commercial navigation nities, some of them with high temperatures and es with the Amazon River, this year, but also low levels
that supplies Manaus, a sandy beaches that attract heavy smoke from nearby which is called the Solimoes in 2024. Until the rainy sea-
city of 2 million with a large tourists. The once bustling man-caused fires for defor- River in Brazil upstream from son begins in the basin, the
industrial park. area is now surrounded by estation and pasture clear- this confluence. In Brazilian situation that is already un-
Manaus is the largest city parched soil, with many ance. The drought is also maps, this marks the begin- derway should worsen."q

U.N. peacekeepers in Mali withdraw from

two bases in the north as fighting intensifies

Islamic extremists. for mid-November," a UN the breakdown of a 2015
The U.N. mission said it statement said. Earlier this peace agreement signed
wanted to complete its de- year, Mali's military junta between the government
parture quickly from two ordered the U.N. mission to and the rebels who once
camps in the Kidal region, leave the country, which drove security forces out
Tessalit and Aguelhok. At- has struggled to contain an of northern Mali as they
tacks in northern Mali have Islamic extremist insurgen- sought to create the state
more than doubled since cy since 2012. The opera- of Azawad.
the peacekeepers com- tion in Mali became one of Earlier this month the rebels
pleted the first phase of the most dangerous in the said they captured another
their withdrawal in August. world, with more than 150 military base from the army
United Nations peacekeepers stand guard at the entrance to a
polling station covered in separatist flags and graffiti supporting "In view of the rapidly dete- peacekeepers killed since in the north.
the creation of the independent state of Azawad, in Kidal, Mali riorating security conditions it began operations in 2013. On Monday, Mali's military
on July, 27, 2013. for the lives of hundreds of Violence is spiking be- said on X, formerly Twitter,
Associated Press peacekeepers ... the mis- tween ethnic Tuareg reb- that its aircraft came under
sion is doing its utmost to els, known as the Perma- heavy fire as it approached
By BABA AHMED two bases in northern Mali complete this process as nent Strategic Framework Tessalit's airport. The army
Associated Press Monday as part of a forced soon as possible, including for Peace, Security and neutralized the enemy and
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Unit- withdrawal from the coun- if necessary, accelerating Development (CSP-PSD) the aircraft was able to
ed Nations peacekeep- try amid increasing insecu- its withdrawal from the Kidal and Mali's military. Ana- land and take off without
ers started departing from rity and a rise in attacks by camp, originally scheduled lysts say the uptick signals problems, it said. q