Drought is paralyzing infrastructure in the Amazon region.
Report informs that José Antônio Puppim de Oliveira, Coordinating Lead Author of Chapter 4 of the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Cities, said this at the event "Stories from Climate Frontlines" held as part of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku.
According to him, when thinking about cities, the issue is not only housing or infrastructure as a means of livelihood.
"The biggest problem I have witnessed there as part of projects in recent years, and the biggest challenge facing the Amazon, is in fact drought in infrastructure. When there is drought, all infrastructure is paralyzed. There are no roads in many parts of the Amazon. People go everywhere by boat, by river. When a major drought occurs, it makes the situation very difficult. Transport problems arise; moreover, services, especially many healthcare services in the Amazon, are provided by boat. Boats cannot reach the necessary places. In addition, many products and goods produced by people cannot be delivered," he said.
"There are also many problems related to local governments. When a natural disaster occurs, they receive a certain amount of funds. I was in Santarem, the second-largest city in the state of Pará, when this major drought happened in 2023. Almost all the funds allocated for the disaster were spent on transport. They were used to bring people into the area and take them out because residents were left helpless in some neighborhoods. Even some neighborhoods within the city can only be accessed by boat. When there is no water, these are the problems you face," he added.