Brazil's Amazon region has faced devastating flooding and drought. Dramatic photos show life in towns weathering the extremes of climate change.

Talia LakritzJan 16, 2024, 02:18 IST

Brazil's Amazon region has faced both devastating flooding and extreme drought.Michael Dantas/AFP via Getty Images ; Michael Dantas/AFP via Getty Images

Brazil's Amazon region has experienced both flooding and drought in recent years.
Rising temperatures across the globe contribute to increasingly intense natural disasters.

In 2021, towns in Amazonas, Brazil, along the Amazon River and its tributaries flooded due to heavier-than-usual rainfall.

Just two years later, the riverbeds turned to sand during months of drought.

The Amazon region floods annually during the rainy season, bringing nutrient-rich sediment from the Andes Mountains to the rainforest floor, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

However, rising temperatures across the globe have contributed to the increasing frequency and intensity of weather-related natural disasters.

Photos show how regions like the Amazon oscillate between extreme weather conditions as its residents struggle to adapt.

In the summer of 2021, Anama in the state of Amazonas, Brazil, experienced widespread flooding at record levels.

Residents navigate flooded streets in Anama, Amazonas state, Brazil, Thursday, May 13, 2021.Edmar Barros/AP

The small town of around 14,000 people, known as "The Venice of Amazonas," became largely submerged underwater.

People sail on boats through the flooded streets due to the Solimoes river overflow in Anama, Brazil, on May 19, 2021.Michael Dantas/AFP via Getty Images

Farmers struggled to keep their livestock afloat.

Francisco Orivan Soares de Bastos uses wooden slats to keep his cattle afloat amid flood waters in Anama, Amazonas state, Brazil, on May 14, 2021.Edmar Barros/AP

Inside their homes, locals built raised platforms with wooden planks to stay above the water.

Valeria Ribeiro de Souza walks on a wooden plank that keeps furniture above floodwater inside her home in Anama, Amazonas state, Brazil, on May 13, 2021.Edmar Barros/AP

Raphael Alves' photo of Anama, titled "Stranded," won an award in The Nature Conservancy's 2023 photography contest.

"Stranded" by Raphael Alves.© Raphael Alves/TNC Photo Contest 2023

In October 2023, an Amazon River tributary drained to record lows due to prolonged drought.

Floating houses and boats are seen stranded at the Marina do Davi, a docking area in the city of Manaus, Amazonas State, Brazil, on October 16, 2023.Michael Dantas/AFP via Getty Images

Without the waterways connecting riverside towns along the Amazon, places like Anama and Manaus found themselves isolated.

A ferry boat is seen stranded at the Marina do Davi, a docking area of the Negro River, in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, on October 16, 2023.Michael Dantas/AFP via Getty Images

Amazon residents dug wells in the cracked ground to obtain water.

Ivalmir Silva digs a well to obtain water at Puraquequara Lake in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, on October 6, 2023.Michael Dantas/AFP via Getty Images

One surprising outcome of the drought was the discovery of prehistoric carvings that had been covered by water for around 2,000 years.

Ancient rock carvings on the banks of the Negro River in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, on October 21, 2023.Michael Dantas/AFP via Getty Images

Large expanses of dry land where rivers once overflowed signaled a worrying trend.

Porto Praia in Amazonas state, Brazil, on October 8, 2023.Gustavo Basso/NurPhoto via Getty Images

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