Brazilian government agencies have stated that prolonged dry conditions have caused the worst drought in central and southern Brazil in almost a century. The drought is expected to cause crop losses, water scarcity and increased fire activity in the Amazon rainforest and Pantanal wetlands.
Several lakes in the Paraná River basin already show low water levels. These are home to several hydroelectric dams and reservoirs that help power the region. Seven of the fourteen main reservoirs nearby stood at their lowest levels since 1999.
News reports state that water levels on the Paraná River are around 8.5 meters below average near the Brazil and Paraguay border. The low water could disrupt cargo ship traffic in the basin and make transportation of goods more expensive.
Image: NASA Earth Observatory / Joshua Stevens
The drought is also affecting the production of important Brazilian crops such as coffee, corn, sugarcane and oranges.
As reported on earthobservatory.nasa.gov¸ many areas of Brazil have seen below-average rainfall since at least October 2019. The November to March rainy season in 2020/2021 brought exceptionally low rainfall in the states of São Paulo and Mato Grosso do Sul. Scientists suggest the sparse rainfall was linked to the recent La Niña, which typically brings drier weather in the southern part of the continent.