The Amazon River, once a symbol of life and biodiversity in the jungle, is now facing its worst drought in 50 years. Indigenous communities resist to survive, while unique species and ancient cultures are in grave danger.
Deep in the lungs of the planet, where once flowed a water serpent that seemed eternal, now lies an open scar in the land. The Amazon River, the vital artery of a region and symbol of global biodiversity, is experiencing an unprecedented drought that has turned its majestic flow into a desolate landscape.
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From the air, the sight is overwhelming. What once was a wide stretch of water flowing through the Colombian jungle now shrinks to isolated pools surrounded by vast dry sandbanks. It’s as if the river, exhausted by the weight of time and human excess, is taking its last breath.
A river that stops beating
Life in the indigenous communities of the Colombian Amazon has changed drastically. For those who have always lived along the river, it is not just a source of water but the core of their existence. However, the Amazon, which used to reach depths of up to 20 meters, now barely exceeds three in some stretches.
Near Leticia, the capital of this region in Colombia, children walk for hours under the relentless sun to collect water jugs. Years ago, it only took minutes to reach the river. Today, that path has become a torment, another wound on the already battered body of the jungle. “The drought has harmed us in every way,” says an indigenous mother with resignation. “We don’t have drinking water, and the little we collect from the rain is not enough for the months of drought.”
The tragedy of the fauna and the people
It’s not just human communities that suffer. The fauna, which once found refuge in the river’s waters, now faces a battle for survival. Pink dolphins, a symbol of the Amazon’s natural wealth, lie dead on the beaches. Five of them have been found lifeless in the past few weeks, a figure that could just be the tip of the iceberg.
Fishermen, who have depended on the river for generations, return home with empty nets. Tourism, a vital source of income for some communities, has almost completely stopped. “We are forgotten, no one visits us anymore because the road is too long,” laments an indigenous leader of the Yagua community.
A river crying for help
The Amazon is not only dying from the drought. Massive deforestation, illegal mining, and the expansion of livestock farming have struck the region for years, like knives cutting through its veins. Wildfires, some intentional, have ravaged thousands of hectares, altering the water cycle in an already weakened ecosystem.
Additionally, the so-called “flying rivers,” air currents that transport water vapor from the jungle to other parts of the continent, are disappearing. Their absence could trigger catastrophic consequences not just for South America but for the global climate.
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An agony that transcends borders
The scale of this crisis has led authorities to declare a state of public calamity in the Amazonas department. However, the measures adopted, such as distributing motobombas and hoses, are insufficient to alleviate the devastation.
The Amazon cannot be seen as a local problem. This river, which flows through Colombia, Peru, and Brazil, is a thermometer of the planet. Its drought is a cry for help that demands an immediate and global response.
The future at stake
Every day that passes, the water serpent grows smaller, more fragile. And with it, cultures, species, and ways of life that took millennia to develop are disappearing. The Amazon, that giant that seemed immortal, is teaching us that even titans can fall if they are not cared for.
While world leaders discuss at meetings like COP16, on the dry riverbanks, indigenous communities continue to fight to survive, clinging to the hope that it’s not too late for the Amazon, nor for us.
Don’t miss our report on the alarming situation of the Amazon River.
