The Chinese Amazon region is experiencing an unusually early drought, and river levels are already below the average for the season. Typically, the dry season begins in the last week of June to the first week of July. However, this year's water level began to drop in the first half of June.
Brazil's Minister of National Waterways and Shipping announced this Monday (22nd) that the government expects a severe drought in the Amazon basin this year, and that they are working with the Ministry of National Infrastructure (DNIT) to dredge strategic points for waterway shipping in the Amazon arc corridor.
Water level in 2024 (m) | Pilotage
Some areas have already been affected:
Tarauacá River: The water level is 4.51 meters, some cities like Envira and Tabatinga are affected.
Amazon: The water level is 11.43 meters, 90 centimeters less than the peak of June 10, affecting Itacoatiara.
Rio Negro River in the municipality of Manaus: the water level has dropped by 77 centimeters in 26 days and is currently 26.07 meters. This rapid decline is worrying, especially after last year's record low of 12.70 meters, which is the lowest in more than 120 years.
Rio Madeira River: The water level in the river reached an all-time low in July. The Porto Velho and Jirau Jusante Beni monitoring stations recorded water levels of 3.08 meters and 10.40 meters, respectively, on Monday, the lowest levels of the period.
过去 4 年 Madeira 地区的亚马逊河 (Itacoatiara to Manaus) 的大致水深 | Pilotage
Drought affects water levels
Water levels in these rivers are already lower than in the same period last year. Last year's dry season caused severe navigation restrictions, and ships were unable to reach the port of Manaus due to lack of draft.
Potential future impacts
The current low river depth is a warning sign that the upcoming dry season could be worse than last year's, which was already the worst in the last 100 years. If the drought continues to worsen, navigation on the river to the port of Manaus will be severely affected and may result in restrictions on navigation or even a complete halt.
Water level in meters for the last 15 days | Pilotage
Navigation status
No navigation restrictions have been imposed, but the drop in river levels is being closely watched. Vessels should sail cautiously and keep up to date with the latest conditions and notices from the authorities.
So far, 20 cities have declared a state of emergency. The authorities are actively monitoring the situation to mitigate the extent of the impact on the affected communities. The drought could affect shipping activities, causing delays in logistics and port operations in the region.