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A powerful drought in the Amazon rainforest led on Monday to the lowest water levels on the Paraguay River in more than a century, disrupting commerce on the major waterway, creating hazards for local transport and offering a grim warning for other parts of the world.<\/p>\n
Paraguay\u2019s Department of Meteorology and Hydrology reported that water levels on the country\u2019s namesake river, a regional economic lifeline<\/a><\/span>, dipped 89 centimeters (35 inches) below the meter\u2019s benchmark at the port of Asunci\u00f3n, the capital, the lowest point in 120 years.<\/p>\n The previous record-breaking drop occurred just three years ago, in October 2021 \u2014 a sign, experts say, of how droughts that starve the region\u2019s waterways are becoming more frequent and intense. The Amazon \u2014 the world\u2019s most voluminous river \u2014 and one of its main tributaries, the Madeira River, have also registered new daily record lows<\/a><\/span> at the city of Tabatinga.<\/p>\n The most immediate effect is being felt across landlocked Paraguay, one of the world\u2019s leading exporters of agricultural commodities, which relies on the river to move 80% of its international commerce.<\/p>\n The head of Paraguay\u2019s fishing union said Monday that the decline in water levels has put 1,600 fishermen out of work. On Monday, dozens of boats that would normally ply the waterway sat on bone-dry banks of sand.<\/p>\n \u201cI have no way out,\u201d said Ferm\u00edn Gim\u00e9nez, a sailor who became trapped Monday as the river literally dried up beneath his small barge. \u201cIt\u2019s a disaster.\u201d<\/p>\n Originating in Brazil, the Paraguay-Paran\u00e1 waterway runs 3,400 kilometers (about 2,110 miles) through Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia and into the open seas, making the region a vital transport hub for grain, corn, soy and other agricultural products.<\/p>\n In the last few days, disruptions have rippled from Paraguay across neighboring countries, with more than half of the river\u2019s shipping capacity halted or tied up in delays, according to Paraguay\u2019s main shipping association. Only so much can be loaded onto cargo ships without the risk of getting stuck along the river\u2019s shallow parts, it said.<\/p>\n That has created expensive headaches in countries including Brazil, which exports iron ore along the river, and Bolivia, which has been forced to reroute badly needed fuel shipments<\/a><\/span> via a slower overland path. Paraguay, which relies on the river to generate electricity, also faces the eventual possibility of cuts in supply, said Ra\u00fal Valdez, president of Paraguay\u2019s Center of River and Maritime Shipowners.<\/p>\n With no rainfall expected in the coming weeks, industry officials said there\u2019s no relief in sight. They anticipate losses in the hundreds of millions of dollars.<\/p>\n \u201cOur main question is, will this now be a new pattern? No one is expecting a quick recovery,\u201d Valdez said. \u201cIt\u2019s a major concern for the whole region.\u201d<\/p>\n Experts said the drying of the Paraguay River \u2014 as with other rivers from Colorado<\/a><\/span> to France<\/a><\/span> to Brazil\u2019s Amazon<\/a><\/span> \u2014 reflects how population growth, climate change and deforestation have increasingly conspired with weak governance and inefficient irrigation practices to transform landscapes, upending delicate ecosystems and sending scores of communities scrambling for fresh water.<\/p>\n \u201cAll over we are seeing increases in droughts; they are longer, more intense, more frequent and more difficult to recover from,\u201d said Rachael McDonnell, deputy director-general for research at the International Water Management Institute.<\/p>\n As rainfall becomes more erratic and the warming climate intensifies the cycles of flood and drought, McDonnell added, \u201cwe\u2019ve lost the slack in the system.\u201d<\/p>\n