The Madeira River reached its lowest level in history, in the city of Porto Velho, in Rondônia, this Tuesday (3). The Brazilian Geological Survey (SGB) recorded the level of 1.02 m, the lowest level observed in almost 60 years, since the beginning of the historical series, in 1967.
According to SGB monitoring, this is the most severe drought in history. Tuesday’s mark exceeded the 1.10 m mark recorded twice, in October and November, in 2023, until then the historical minimum.
A new hydrological monitoring bulletin for the basin indicated that the river had a small rise throughout the morning, and the last observed level was 1.07 m.
“We are monitoring the situation and we must install, for the first time in the history of Porto Velho, a ruler that goes up to the 0 mark”, highlighted the hydrological engineer Guilherme Jordão Cardoso, from Residência de Porto Velho (REPO).
According to the Brazilian Geological Survey (SGB), there is no forecast of rain for the region and projections indicate that the river level should continue to fall, further worsening the water crisis. The installation of the new gauge will take place on Thursday (5).
Other stations in the Madeira River Basin also recorded levels below the normal range. At the Ji-Paraná station (RO), the level reached 6.10 m at the beginning of the week, the fourth lowest in the historical series, behind the levels of 6.09 m in 2020; 6.08 m in 1998 and 6.02 m in 2021.
In the municipality of Nova Mamoré (RO), the level observed at the Jirau Jusante Beni station was 9.32 m, the fifth lowest. At the Guajará-Mirim station (RO), the level is within the normal range: 5.72 m.
The country has been experiencing a period of severe drought in recent weeks. According to a survey by the National Center for Monitoring and Alerting Natural Disasters (Cemaden), 16 Brazilian states are facing severe drought, considered the worst in the last 44 years.
In addition to the Madeira River, the Solimões River also reached its lowest level in history, with a mark of -0.94 cm, in the city of Tabatinga, in the interior of the state of Amazonas..
This content was originally published in Rio Madeira reaches lowest level in history, in Porto Velho (RO) on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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