Rio Negro rises more than 2 meters in the first three months of 2022; CPRM issues an alert

Priscilla Peixoto – Cenarium Magazine

MANAUS – The level of the Rio Negro keeps increasing, according to official data released by the Port of Manaus’ website. From January to March 28, the water level went from 24.15 to 26.87. An increase of a little more than 2.70 centimeters. Although it is 23cm lower in relation to the same period last year, when the river level was 27.10, the river rise raises an alert for the possibility of a great flood.

According to the Hydrometeorological Monitoring Bulletin of the Western Amazon, nº 12, published by CPRM on March 25th of this year, the Negro River has been presenting an intense flooding process resulting in marks above the expected for this period of the year. The average daily rise is 9 centimeters, while last year the average was between 5 and 6 centimeters a day

Flood Alert

This Thursday, 31st, the Geological Survey of Brazil (SGB-CPRM) will carry out the first alert about the 2022 flood. The alert will be broadcasted by CPRM TV on YouTube, at 9am Manaus time and 10am Brasilia time. During the broadcast the maximum indication of the flood period will be disclosed, in the municipalities of Manaus, Manacapuru and Itacoatiara.

“The objective of this first ‘Flood Alert’ is to indicate the magnitude of the flood event that will probably occur this year in the municipalities of Manaus, Itacoatiara and Manacapuru. Thus, both the population and the acting agencies can start preparing themselves with some anticipation, in order to minimize the negative impacts associated with extreme hydrological events, increasingly common in our region”, highlighted the researcher for the Amazon Hydrological Alert System (SAH Amazonas) Luna Gripp, in a note released to the media.

Besides Luna Gripp, the alert transmission will also have the participation of Ricardo Dallarosa, meteorologist from the Amazon Protection System (Sipam), and Renato Senna, meteorologist from the National Institute for Amazon Research (Inpa). The Civil Defense representatives: Lieutenant Colonel Adson Ferreira – for the Amazonas State Civil Defense; and Colonel Fernando Paiva Pires – for the Manaus Civil Defense will also participate in the virtual meeting.

Historical level

The initiative contributes in advance so that the competent agencies can prepare to mitigate the material, environmental, economic and social impacts caused by the flood and suffered by hundreds of families as in 2021 when more than 455 thousand people were affected by the high level of the waters, according to information from the Civil Defense.

It is worth mentioning that in December, during a press conference, the governor of Amazonas, Wilson Lima, stated that the levels of the rivers in the state were already outside normality for the period. At the time, the governor stated that the forecast is that in 2022, the flood will exceed the historical levels registered in 2021.

The forecast, still, is that more than 500 thousand people, about 130 thousand families, will be affected this year. “If the rhythm of rising rivers continues to accelerate, there is a possibility that all the municipalities will be affected by the flood of 2022,” said the governor at the time.

In June last year, the flood reached the historic mark of 30.02 meters. The highest ever recorded by the Port of Manaus since September 1902. The record mark belonged to the year 2012, when the river reached 29.7 meters.