In February this year, the state of Roraima recorded 2,057 fires, according to data from the Burns Program of the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe). The number corresponds to 45% of all outbreaks detected in the country last month (4,568).
Since the beginning of the year, 2,661 fires have been detected in Roraima. The number is greater than all outbreaks registered in 2023 in the state: 2,659. In February last year, 168 outbreaks were registered in Roraima.
The state government declared an emergency situation in nine municipalities in Roraima due to the effects of drought in the region: Amajari, Alto Alegre, Cantá, Caracaraí, Iracema, Mucajaí, Pacaraima, Normandia and Uiramutã.
The municipalities with the most fires in February are Mucajaí (401), Caracaraí (335), Amajari (235) and Rorainópolis (218).
Drought
The state is going through a period of severe drought, worsened by the influence of the El Niño phenomenon. The Branco River, the main river in the state, reached a level of – 0.13 meters, according to the Roraima Water and Sewage Company (Caer).
The production of drinking water in the state's artesian wells was reduced by 20%, which, according to Caer, ends up causing low pressure in the water distribution network in the most remote neighborhoods. The state government has installed free drinking water collection points at municipal headquarters and also provides supplies at Caer headquarters.
The Roraima Fire Department points to the local practice of setting fires to “clean” the land as one of the factors that worsen the situation, as the fire can get out of control.
State government
The Roraima Department of Social Communication informed, in a note, that the drought scenario is worrying. “But it is not possible to measure it in temporal comparisons, since the situation depends on the weather behavior in the coming months. There have been previous periods of drought and fires in the states, notably in the years 1998, 2010 and 2016.”
Among the measures to combat fires adopted by the state government is the call for mayors of all municipalities to prepare plans for actions to combat fires. The state government also requested reinforcement from the federal government to act in an integrated manner and respond to the situation.
Source: CNN Brasil
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