B.E. Lindholm, a 3,500-ton dredger, arrived in Manaus on 10 October after a ten-day journey from Norfolk, Virginia, contracted by the Amazonas State government to dredge part of the Amazon River where water levels have fallen to historic lows. Manaus is a vital hub in a vast river network which is increasingly threatened by drought and related low water levels. The US$21.3 million contract is to dredge two pinch points some 200 kms downstream from Manaus, at Enseada do Madeira and Tabocal. Because of the low water level many ships are held up there, in a temporary port at Itacoatiara. 

The work will take 45 days to complete and, it is hoped, will ease congestion because of the low water and enable more ships to access Manaus. The city is home to Brazil’s only free trade zone, housing assembly plants owned by companies such as Coca-Cola, Samsung, Procter and Gamble, and Honda. Typically, around 30,000 containers arrive and depart from the port every month. The river network also supplies isolated communities with everything from food and banking, through to floating health centres. 

According to Greenpeace, a 9 October measurement of 23 river stations in the Amazon Basin showed that the water level at 15 of them were at their lowest ever recorded, while in the remaining eight the water was below long-term averages. The Solimoes River, which feeds into the Amazon, was at its lowest ever level, due to lower flow from its Japurá, Ica, Jurá and Purus tributaries. ‘The drought came earlier to several regions of the Amazon in 2024 and is more severe and extensive than last year, when it had already been the worst in a long time,’ said Greenpeace’s Brazil spokesman, Romulo Batista, adding ‘Generally speaking, almost all the Amazon basins have a negative water level record for some stretches.’ The sharp drop in Amazon River levels, attributed by authorities to climate change, has cut off many populations that depend on river transport, and threatened the supply of different municipalities in the region, the world’s largest freshwater basin.

Meanwhile the government has announced a subsidy for Amazon fishing communities who have been impacted by low water levels. The subsidy is worth BRL2,824 (US$512) to each beneficiary and will be received by the estimated 100,000 households that depend on fishing in the region. It is equivalent to a one-off payment worth two month’s minimum wages, and will be in addition to subsidies already paid to compensate for bans on certain types of fishing designed to protect stocks and avoid over-fishing.

The October 2024 issue of Brazil Focus also includes the following:

Politics

• Lula downplays PT’s poor showing in municipal elections
• Disagreements on the far right
• Elon Musk backs down in fight with Supreme Court
• Supreme Court and Congress continue their grudge match

Taking the Pulse

• Who won the municipal elections?

Foreign Relations

• Lula expresses frustration at UN General Assembly
• Potential for closer links with Mexico

Security

• President rejects US ‘meddling’ over fighter deal

Economy & Business

• Macroeconomic news 
• Gabriel Galípolo confirmed by the Senate
• Business news

Environment

• River navigation threatened by low water levels
• Forest fires more than double

Energy Sector

• Lula signs ‘future fuel’ bill 
• Big power cuts hit São Paulo
• Belo Monte is managing the dry season
• Wind generators complain over transmission problems
• Argentina offers gas supply contracts