Acre River hits record-breaking level

In a little more than 24 hours, the level of the Acre River rose 25 cm today (Mar 2), suring 1997's 17.66m record. In Rio Branco, the state capital of Acre, it reached 17.96m, according to the Hydrological Monitoring System of the National Water Agency. City authorities have declared state of calamity.

According to meteorologist Ricardo DalRosa, from the System for Protection of the Amazon (Sipam), the rains in the neighboring countries, especially in Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia, have brought river levels further up in the Brazilian Amazon region.

DalaRosa went on to declare that the winter in the Amazon region has made its plight even worse. “When there's a rain surplus in the dry season it's not much of a problem. But when it reaches the rainy season, precipitation in the area increases considerably. And this water usually finds watercourses and raises river levels.”

The change causes a direct impact on the area, where nearly 5 thousand people have been forced out of their homes. State authorities have   given civil servants optional days off on March 2 and 3 in order to allow them to do volunteer work at public shelters.

In the upper Acre region levels start to lower in Brasileia, Epitaciolândia, and Xapuri, where a number of families have received sanitation kits for cleaning their homes before leaving.

Graziele Bezerra contributed to this article.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira