Alter do Chão: Drought changes landscape of the ‘Amazonian Caribbean’ – 10/03/2023 – Environment

The drought in the south of the Amazon has changed the landscape of tourist attractions such as Alter do Chão, district of Santarém, in Pará. The Tapajós river was 1.58 m high this Tuesday (3), the lowest level since 2010 — the year of drought considered the most drastic since the 20th century—for the same date, when the measurement was 1.32 m, according to the municipality’s Civil Defense.

The changes caused by the drought are noticeable on the main beaches of the resort town of Alter do Chão, known as the “Caribbean of the Amazon”, 37 kilometers from Santarém.

On the afternoon of this Monday (2), the report followed bathers who were walking in a part of the river that is dry, where they previously swam.

Drought is already expected at this time of year, considered the Amazon summer. This time, however, the drop in river levels is beyond average and is already causing difficulties in the resort region. There are reports of a lack of drinking water in some surrounding communities, although Alter do Chão itself has not recorded any cases of this type.

“In Alter do Chão, services are normal”, says the coordinator of Santarém Civil Defense, Darlison Maia.

In the channel that connects the village to Ilha do Amor, where in the rainy season (Amazonian winter) the crossing is done using catraias (canoes), due to the drought of the Tapajós River, bathers now cross by walking.

Another point where it is possible to see the extent of the drought is close to the tourist service center. At the site, the bridge beams are visible and a lake has dried up. “Some fish and chelonians [(animais de casco como tartarugas] died”, says the president of the Alter do Chão Community Council, Mauro Vasconcelos.

At the same beginning of the month, in 2022, the level of Tapajós was basically double, at the 3.80 meter mark.

Given this situation, the service of the catraieiros, who carry passengers across the Tapajós via canoes, has dwindled. Tourism as a whole, however, has not changed, in Vasconcelos’ assessment.

“Tourists are walking across to the island [do Amor]and some people who need to take boats are walking up to a kilometer to the place where the river is deepest and navigable”, he explains.

The months of October, November and December 2023 will be drier than usual in the North region, according to a joint note from Inpe (National Institute for Space Research), Inmet (National Institute of Meteorology), ANA (National Water and Sanitation Agency Basic) and Cenad (National Center for Risk and Disaster Management).

In Pará, the area affected by drought increased from 48% to 59% of the territory in the months of July and August, according to ANA.

Due to the drought on the Tapajós and Amazonas rivers, boat captains need to take extra care when navigating.

The Santarém River Captaincy recommends that captains pay special attention to sandbars and not sail at night in critical stretches. The Navy also warns of gusts of wind, during some periods of the day, which could cause shipwrecks.