Brazil is grappling with its most severe drought in over seven decades, affecting 59% of the country. Major rivers in the Amazon basin are at record lows, with rampant wildfires exacerbating the environmental crisis.

Brazil is fighting wildfires that have cast smoke across swaths of its territory, fuelled by heatwaves and the nation’s worst drought on record. The area of the Amazon in Brazil, home to about two-thirds of the world’s largest rainforest,

Brazil is enduring its worst drought since nationwide measurements began over seven decades ago, with 59% of the country under stress — an area roughly half the size of the U.S.

A series of record-breaking wildfires are currently burning in several regions in Brazil, threatening residents and some of the most important ecological systems.

The flames of tens of thousands of fires have torn over millions of acres this summer, making this year the worst for Amazon fires in nearly a decade, according to Rainforest Foundation US. A staggering 7.4 million acres burned within the first half of this year, a 122 percent increase over last year, the nonprofit said.

Left: A drone view shows floating houses and boats which are stranded due to the drought affecting the Rio Negro, the largest left tributary of the Amazon River, at the Cacau Pirera district in Iranduba, Amazonas state, Brazil September 2, 2024. Photo by Bruno Kelly/REUTERS

The worst drought on record has lowered the water level of the rivers in the Amazon basin to historic lows, in some cases drying up riverbeds that were previously navigable waterways. The Solimoes, one of the main tributaries of the mighty Amazon River whose waters originate in the Peruvian Andes,

By Shanna Hanbury The Amazon Rainforest’s main rivers are drying out due to an unprecedented drought exacerbated by climate change. Levels have continued to drop since Mongabay’s Sept 9. feature by Fernanda Wenzel.