The waters of the region known as the “Amazonian Caribbean” are not as translucent as usual, and experts fear the effects will be felt on a national and global scale.
The explanation is given by researcher Giarrizzo, coordinator of the Aquatic Ecology Group at the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), who commented on possible reasons for the change in the waters from Alter do Chão (PA) to CNN this Thursday (20).
According to Giarrizzo, the “muddy” water may be the result of “a cumulative effect of impacts that are taking place” – ranging from the occurrence of a rainy season in the region to changes in land use throughout the Tapajós Basin, including the deforestation, illegal mining and agribusiness.
“The concern is very great, several hypotheses are being raised, but we do not have the reason or the source that is generating the change in the color of the water”, he declared.
“In the Tapajós basin, there is a set of human impacts that generate changes in water quality, and this will have a cumulative effect – especially deforestation, which occurs in the headwaters of the Tapajós River, agribusiness, the construction of dams, ports, the burning processes”, he explained.
The researcher explained that the set of activities ends up generating soil erosion in the region, and that this process leads to the accumulation of sediments – a possible explanation for the dark water in Alter.
For Tommaso Giarrizzo, the problem becomes not only local, but global, when one considers the toxic potential of the soil washed away by the rains to Alter do Chão and, later, to the sea waters.
As a result, toxins present in the aforementioned processes, including mercury from illegal mining, can reach the river animals and the population.
“There is no point in worrying about ensuring environmental quality in Santarém if the municipalities and states that drain the river do not have environmental management. This water also reaches the ocean. The effects are being diluted and dispersed on a geographic scale that is not even national, it is really global”, he said.
Reference: CNN Brasil
