Amazon River's Largest Tributary With the Lowest Flow Ever

On Monday, the Black River, the main left tributary of the Amazon, recorded a height of 13.59 meters, its lowest level since records began in 1902.

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Stretching along 1,700 kilometers through Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil, the Black River has hit its lowest mark to date amidst one of the worst droughts ever remembered in the Amazon region.

Since the beginning of July, the flow of the Black River, named for the dark tone of its waters, has decreased by 14.4 meters, from 28 meters down to the current level. The decrease in the flow of the rivers that make up the Amazon basin has complicated the navigation of cargo ships, upon which the region relies for importing and exporting goods.

The Brazilian Coastal Shipowners Association is on alert, predicting that this year’s drought may prevent the transportation of 50 percent of goods and, in the worst-case scenario, make navigation impossible.

Low flow issues have been worsening over the past 10 years, leading to authorities imposing limits of up to 50 percent on river navigation between October and November 2022.

Manaus hosts Brazil’s second-largest port by cargo volume and is crucial for transporting raw materials extracted from the region, as well as appliances and chemicals manufactured in the vicinity of the regional capital.

Two weeks ago, the administration of President Lula da Silva promised to combat the increasing wildfires in the region and invest US$27 million in drainage work for the Madeira and Solimões rivers to improve navigation.

The combination of high temperatures linked to the El Niño phenomenon and low water levels of the Amazon’s tributaries has caused the death of over 140 dolphins from two endangered species between September and October.

In June, July, and August, Manaus received 131 millimeters of rain, compared to a historical average of 202 millimeters for that quarter, according to the National Institute of Meteorology.

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