Almost 40% of indigenous lands were affected by severe or moderate drought, says Cemaden

About 38% of indigenous lands in Brazilian territory were potentially in a position to severe or moderate drought according to data released by the National Center for Monitoring and Alerts for Natural Disasters (Cemaden), this Wednesday (14). In the last month, there were 32 areas of indigenous land in extreme drought — highest level of agency classification.

The diagnosis shows that 207 indigenous people were affected by severe drought and another 173 by moderate drought. Most of the areas are located in the North and Central-West regions. “The drought situation in several municipalities in Amazonas has been going on since 2023. And the longer it lasts, the greater the impacts, especially on water resources,” says Ana Paula Cunha, a researcher at Cemaden. Since July, 20 municipalities in Amazonas have been in a drought emergency.

Throughout Brazil, 404 cities are in extreme drought conditions according to the Integrated Drought Index (IIS) — number four times bigger than in June and 40 times bigger than that recorded in the same period last year, when only 10 municipalities were classified as such. The most affected regions are the South of Bahia and the North of Minas Gerais, where municipalities have gone more than 100 days without rain.

The most affected regions include Amazonas, Mato Grosso, Pará, Mato Grosso do Sul, Goiás and São Paulo. According to experts, the intensification of the drought is mainly due to low rainfall which resulted in increased vegetative stress and reduced soil moisture.

More cities are expected to experience extreme drought this month. See the cities experiencing drought in Brazil in July:

  • Extreme drought: 404
  • Severe drought: 1361
  • Moderate drought: 1068
  • Weak drought: 949

Cemaden has issued a warning of worsening drought in several regions of Brazil, particularly in Amazonas, Acre, Mato Grosso, Pará, Mato Grosso do Sul, Goiás, Minas Gerais and São Paulo. In August, the drought is expected to continue to intensify in the Paraná River Basin, and range from severe to extreme in much of the region. The forecast is for a jump from 404 to 461 municipalities in extreme drought in August

This scenario keeps the area on alert, demanding strategic measures to mitigate the impacts, especially the risk of fires. “The situation requires attention and preventive actions to minimize the socioeconomic and environmental impacts,” the alert states.

Source: CNN Brasil

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