Grapevine

Water levels in major Amazon tributary tumble to record lows amid drought

It’s one of the largest rivers in the world. And its water levels have fallen to a record low.

Amid drought and wildfires, the Rio Negro plummeted to a depth of 12.66 metres (41.5 feet) on Friday, according to the Geological Service of Brazil, a government agency.

That’s the shallowest depth recorded since measurements were first taken in 1902. And researchers in the port city of Manaus fear water levels could further tumble as the dry season continues through much of October.

“This is now the most severe drought in over 120 years of measurement at the Port of Manaus,” Valmir Mendonca, the port’s head of operations, told the Reuters news agency.

The Rio Negro is a major tributary of the Amazon River — and a mighty waterway in its own right. The river drains more than 10 percent of the water in the Amazon River basin, and it is the sixth-largest river in the world by average discharge.