Brazilian Governor
Declares Amazon River a Disaster Area
October 12, 2005 — By Associated Press
SAO PAOLO, Brazil — Authorities
declared part of the Amazon River a disaster area after a drought left
the levels of parts of the river too low for navigation, officials said
Tuesday.
The government of the jungle state of Amazonas declared the disaster on
Monday, freeing up money, food and medicine to scores of river
communities that now can be reached only by air, government spokesman
Hiel Levy said by phone.
"All these communities are having difficulty finding supplies. We're
working to make sure they don't run out," Levy said by phone from
Manaus, 1,660 miles northwest of Sao Paulo.
The level of the Amazon rises and falls regularly, but this year the dry
season has been more severe than normal. Officials said the water levels
in areas about 35 miles upstream from Manaus have dropped several feet
to about five feet, making it hazardous for river boats and difficult
for fishing, a key occupation.
"We're worried," Manaquiri Mayor Jair Souto told the Associated Press.
"We have about 25,000 people whose basic food is fish. We're a community
of fishermen."
Officials said Amazonas Gov. Carlos Eduardo de Souza Braga spoke with
Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva about the problem and sent
workers to dig wells to supply isolated communities with drinking water,
which previously was drawn from the river.
Water levels are expected to rise in early November at the start of the
rainy season.
Source: Associated Press |