Vast areas of South America have been gripped in drought conditions for months. Rivers in the Amazon basin fell to record-low levels in October. The drought has amplified wildfires, parched crops, disrupted transportation networks, and interrupted hydroelectric power generation in parts of Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
The drought is related to the impact of the El Niño that was present for the latter part of 2023 and the first half of this year. El Niño typically shifts rainfall patterns in such a way that there is reduced rainfall in the Amazon. This is especially true during the dry season months of July, August, and September.
Forecasts earlier in the year warned that there would be extreme fire conditions during the dry season. Indeed, the Pantanal region that spans parts of southern Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia has experienced one of its worst fire seasons in decades. The lack of rainfall, low soil moisture, and drawdowns of groundwater helped to amplify fires and caused them to spread faster and farther.
The drought has strained power supplies in Brazil and Ecuador because hydroelectric power stations are producing less electricity. Snarled transportation networks with impassible rivers have left some communities struggling to get supplies.
Brazil’s National Center for Monitoring and Early Warning of Natural Disasters has called the current drought the most intense and widespread Brazil has ever experienced. Late October saw 293 Brazilian municipalities facing extreme drought.
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Intense, Widespread Drought Grips South America
Photo, posted August 13, 2010, courtesy of Colm Britton via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio
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