Manaus dawns with gray skies due to smoke from fires

The sky dawned gray in Manaus (AM), this Monday (20), because of the smoke caused by fires, which are advancing on the capital of Amazonas.

According to SELVA, an Electronic Environmental Surveillance System, from the State University of Amazonas (UEA), the air quality in many parts of Manaus is considered moderate to very bad.

During the weekend, in some regions of the city, this index was classified as terrible.

Even on days with less dense smoke, the air quality in the capital of Amazonas leaves something to be desired. Local health authorities have recommended measures such as the use of masks and humidifiers to minimize the impacts of exposure to smoke.

Since the beginning of the driest period of the year, in August, Manaus and cities in the interior of Amazonas have suffered from smoke from fires.

In Parintins, for example, Brigadistas from Ibama, from the Prevfogo program, work to combat forest fires that hit the municipality. The request for help was made by Parintins city hall on November 15th. Since then, firefighting work has been taking place in the region.

According to the latest bulletin from the state’s Civil Defense, between July 12th and November 18th, the Fire Department worked to combat 2,857 fires, 800 in the capital and 2,055 in the interior.

Due to the historic drought, all 62 municipalities in Amazonas are in an emergency situation and almost 600,000 people across the state have already been impacted by the drought.