Manaus experiences chaos with consecutive days of smoke – 11/06/2023 – Environment

The most populous city in the Amazon, Manaus, lives from wave to wave of smoke, matching the routines of municipalities that are in more degraded and deforested Amazon regions and that have been living with toxic mists in their home windows for years.

For five consecutive days, the capital of Amazonas, with more than 2 million inhabitants, was covered in smoke from fires and was responsible for very bad or terrible air quality levels, according to monitoring by Selva (Electronic Environmental Surveillance System) , linked to UEA (University of the State of Amazonas).

The wave of smoke at the beginning of November is similar to two others that occurred in October. Or sporadic whole days with a gray horizon, unbreathable air, burning smell permeating clothes and objects and harmful effects on the body, especially for those with respiratory problems.

Selva data shows that, since October 1st, there have been ten days with very bad levels of air pollution in the center of Manaus. On another four days, the level was terrible, close to the worst places in the world to breathe.

What is happening in the capital of Amazonas during this period of drought — the drought was historic, with the lowest level of the Negro River in 121 years — is similar to what has been experienced for some time in regions that are on the frontier of deforestation, such as Lábrea (AM) and Humaitá (AM), in the south of the state, and Porto Velho (RO). Forest degradation has destroyed borders for smoke, which is incorporated into the daily lives of these cities.

The successive months of smoke in Manaus, a huge urban area in the Amazon rainforest, were not interrupted by the measures announced by federal, state and municipal governments.

Relief for air quality occurs when there is sporadic rain in the city. The dryness causes “sandstorms” to occur from the humid winds that precede the rain, as happened this Sunday (5).

It rains less in the region, the drought is prolonged and less rain is expected during the period when the rivers are full, according to research institutes that work in the Amazon. As a result, the main rivers in the region had a historic low, and waves of smoke became a reality in Manaus, in cities in the metropolitan region and even in more distant municipalities.

In the second week of October, when a wave of smoke flooded the capital for days in a row, Ibama (Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources) stated that agricultural producers in nearby cities were responsible for the fires.

In the current wave, both Ibama and the government of Amazonas attribute responsibility to states like Pará, and also to fires in the metropolitan region of Manaus.

In the first six days of November, Pará recorded 1,916 hot spots in the Amazon, according to data from Inpe (National Institute for Space Research). In Amazonas, in the same period, there were 116 outbreaks.

In October, satellites used by Inpe recorded 11,378 fires in Pará and 3,858 in Amazonas.

“So far, we have two main sources that cause the smoke in Manaus,” he told Sheet the Secretary of the Environment of Amazonas, Eduardo Taveira.

“In the last five days, the greatest pressure, identified by satellites and also by the air quality route in the cities along the Amazon River, came from hot spots recorded in western Pará. The other source is the hot spots, although in smaller scale, in the metropolitan region of Manaus”, stated the secretary.

This “dynamic” began to be verified from October 26th onwards, according to Taveira. Previously, the outbreaks were concentrated in the metropolitan region, said the secretary. “During this period we reinforced actions in this area, with the support of PrevFogo brigade members [do Ibama]and we managed to significantly control these outbreaks, which influenced the smoke over the capital.”

The extremely dry climate for the period, influenced by an El Niño with severe consequences, is the main factor for the smoke not to dissipate, according to the Secretary of the Environment. “We were supposed to be at the beginning of the rainy season. With the very low humidity, we are suffering from a very common process in large cities during dry periods, thermal inversion.”

The extreme drought in the Amazon is also linked to the warming of the North Tropical Atlantic, the degradation and deforestation of the forest and the effects of climate change.

Last week, the superintendent of Ibama in Amazonas, Joel Araújo, said that fires in the metropolitan region contribute to the smoke, but that much of the material comes from Pará, Amapá, Mato Grosso and states in the Northeast. “All this smoke is being carried to the Manaus region.”

According to the superintendent, Ibama operates in the metropolitan region with 122 brigades. “The smoke compromised the air quality and the health of the population of Manaus and the region.”

In a statement, the Secretariat of Environment and Sustainability of Pará said that the state has no “confirmation” that the smoke in Manaus comes from the region. “With El Niño, Pará is facing a period of little rain and drought. The secretariat has reinforced staff and expanded actions to prevent and combat forest fires.”

More than 230 military personnel are working to combat fires in the state, according to the secretariat. “The state reduced deforestation. In July, August and September, it recorded the best quarter of the year, with a drop of 56%.”