Brazil's Rio Negro river registers lowest water level since 1902

by IANS |

Brasilia, Oct 17 (IANS) The Rio Negro river, one of the main waterways in Brazil's Amazon region, has recorded its lowest water level since 1902, with dozens of boats stranded in the Manaus Port.

According to official information from the Manaus Port Authority, the largest blackwater river in the world reached 13.59 meters, the lowest level since measurements began in 1902, shattering the previous record of 13.63 meters set in 2010, reports Xinhua news agency.

"It is the worst drought in Manaus," said a spokesperson for the port in the capital of Amazonas state.

Hundreds of boats were stranded on the river's sandbanks as a drought has put more than 50 municipalities in the Brazilian Amazon region under emergency conditions, reported local media.

October is one of the periods when the waters recede in the Amazon river basin, so the government has launched an operation to dredge the watercourses to allow navigation and avoid water shortages in riverside cities.

"The Rio Negro will go down a little more. From historical data, major droughts last until the end of October to the beginning of November," said Renato Senna, climatologist and researcher at the country's National Institute for Space Research.