Viral: Before And After Pics Reveal River In Amazon Drying Up

Before and after pictures of the river in Amazon drying up have surfaced on the internet. The water level of the Rio Negro - the largest left tributary of the Amazon River - has been dropping by 20cm (8 inches) a day, Newsweek reported. 

The region is under pressure from the El Nino weather phenomenon, with the volume of rainfall in the northern Amazon below the historical average.  In Amazonas state, 59 out of 62 municipalities are facing drought and 15 of them are in an emergency situation, according to the Amazon Working Group, which brings together 503 local organizations, Reuters reported. 

X user Sergio Freire shared two photos of the Rio Negro-one from July and another from early October. The pictures reveal the drastic change. 

"The extent of the drought in Amazonas. The top photo is now. The other, from July," the caption read. 

The first picture shows a dry, muddy riverbed taken in October. Another picture taken in July, shows a river flowing through the forest. 

The post has gathered 4.4 million views on X.

See the post here:

A dimensão da seca no Amazonas. A foto de cima é agora. A outro, de julho. pic.twitter.com/RnMedptubO

— Sérgio Freire  (@sergiofreire) October 6, 2023

Brazil's government said last week it is preparing to provide emergency assistance to inhabitants in the Amazon region hit by a record drought that has drained the rivers that are their life support. The Amazon drought, like flooding in the south of Brazil, is a result of the El Nino phenomenon, which warms the Pacific Ocean's surface water, experts say, Reuters reported.

Some rivers winding through Brazil's vast Amazon rainforest have piled up masses of dead fish as the drought worsened, constricting local communities' access to food and drinking supplies.

The carcasses of some 120 rare river dolphins were found floating in a tributary of the Amazon River in circumstances that experts suspect were caused by severe drought and heat.