The forest fires affecting the Pantanal and Amazon areas caused cities in the Central-West and North regions of the country to wake up covered in smoke this Friday (17).
In the first 15 days of this month alone, the states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul have already recorded almost 4,000 fires. Both states have already declared an emergency situation due to the incidents.
Video: Fire in the Pantanal and drought in the North worry the federal government
Satellite images released by the Weather and Climate Monitoring Center of Mato Grosso do Sul show smoke covering much of the North and Central-West of Brazil due to fires in the biomes.
“The large concentration of smoke comes from forest fires mainly in the Bolivian Amazon. In Mato Grosso do Sul, the smoke is increased, more locally, due to forest fires in the Pantanal”, informs the agency.
Professor Widinei Fernandes, from the Physics Institute of the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS), states that the concentration of polluting particles in Campo Grande “has increased significantly” since last Thursday (16).
“This increase is due to the arrival of this soot, resulting from the fires that occurred in the Pantanal and also in the Bolivian Amazon. This shows that air pollution is a problem that, from relatively distant regions, can affect other regions. So, our region, Mato Grosso do Sul as a whole, is suffering from this pollution coming from the Amazon and the Pantanal”, he explains.
Fernandes explains that, until Thursday night, the air quality in the state was considered “good”. At this moment, it became “moderate” and, according to him, “it could reach a concentration considered bad later”.
The expert gives tips for the population to protect themselves against smoke.
See the tips:
- Avoid physical activity at any time
- Drink plenty of fluids
- Remain at rest
- Humidify ambient air
- If the condition persists, it is recommended to use masks to avoid inhaling polluting particles
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m James Harper, a highly experienced and accomplished news writer for World Stock Market. I have been writing in the Politics section of the website for over five years, providing readers with up-to-date and insightful information about current events in politics. My work is widely read and respected by many industry professionals as well as laymen.
