In Pictures

Photos: Amazon rainforest faces a severe drought affecting thousands

With river levels dropping, water transportation has stalled and hundreds of dead fish are contaminating drinking water.

Boat pilot Paulo Monteiro da Cruz observes dead fish at Piranha lake — Boat pilot Paulo Monteiro da Cruz paddles through a blanket of dead fish atop Piranha Lake in Manacapuru, Brazil, as drought conditions continue. [Bruno Kelly/Reuters]

The Amazon rainforest in Brazil is in the grips of a severe drought that may affect around 500,000 people by the end of the year, limiting their access to food, drinking water and other supplies.

Water levels have already dropped, and dead fish now float atop some of the rainforest’s winding rivers.

Their rotting corpses have contaminated the water supply in some areas, officials told the news agency Reuters, with more than 110,000 people facing repercussions.

In Manacapuru — a town two hours’ drive from the major city of Manaus, considered a gateway to the Amazon — fish launched themselves out of the scorching, shallow waters in a desperate attempt to survive. The smell of rot, emanating from the brown water, filled the air.

“It is difficult because of the contamination of the water. We need a lot of it to bathe. And we also drink the water, but because it is contaminated, we’re not drinking it,” said 19-year-old shopkeeper Caroline Silva dos Santos in Manacapuru.

“We’re getting water by bringing it from the city.”

The Amazonas state, where Manacapuru is located, declared an environmental emergency two weeks ago in response to the prolonged drought and launched a response plan valued at $20m.

The drought is forecast to last longer and be more intense because of the El Nino climate phenomenon, which inhibits the formation of rain clouds, the civil defence authority said.

Climate change also exacerbates droughts by making them more frequent, longer and more severe. Warmer temperatures enhance evaporation, which reduces surface water and dries out soils and vegetation.

Dead fish are seen at Piranha lake, in Manacapuru, state of Amazonas, Brazil — Dead fish wash ashore at Piranha Lake, near Manacapuru in Brazil, as a drought drives fears of falling water levels. [Bruno Kelly/Reuters]

Boys take a bath before going to school near the Negro river, amidst an ongoing drought in Manaus, Brazil — Boys take a bath before going to school near the Negro River, amidst an ongoing drought in Manaus, Brazil. [Edmar Barros/AP Photo]

Boys walk next to a floating home stranded on what used to be the water´s edge of the Negro river, — Brazil's government is preparing a task force to provide emergency assistance to inhabitants in the region of the Amazon rainforest hit by a severe drought. Here, a young boy examines a stranded house boat in Manaus, Brazil. [Edmar Barros/AP Photo]

A view of the Piranha lake in Manacapuru, state of Amazonas, Brazil, — In 2010, a severe drought pushed river levels in the Amazon region to record lows, creating similar problems. [Bruno Kelly/Reuters]

Uanderson Marinho de Souza, 40, carries his son to school across the much-diminished Negro river — Uanderson Marinho de Souza, 40, carries his son to school across the much-diminished Negro River. [Edmar Barros/AP Photo]

Houseboats, boats and trash lay on the now dry area that used to be covered by the Negro river — Houseboats, boats and trash lie on a now-dry area that used to be covered by the Negro River, next to the river wall in Manaus, Brazil. [Edmar Barros/AP Photo]

View of the much-diminished Negro river shore amid an ongoing drought in Manaus, Brazil — The civil defence agency warned that the drought could eventually impact up to 500,000 people in the Amazon. [Edmar Barros/AP Photo]