Brazil steps up measures to limit impact of possible new drought on Amazon navigation

After the historic droughts recorded in 2023 and 2024, Brazil’s federal government has moved ahead with measures to reduce the effects of a possible new dry spell in the Amazon in 2026. The actions include dredging plans, waterway maintenance works, stronger nautical signaling and continuous assessments of navigability conditions to avoid disruptions to passenger transport, city supplies and cargo flows in the North region.

Rivers such as the Amazon and the Solimões reached critical levels in recent years, disrupting navigation and directly affecting mobility and supplies in local municipalities. In response, the Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPor) and the National Department of Transport Infrastructure (Dnit) began structuring permanent measures for drought periods.

Through the National Secretariat for Waterways and Navigation (SNHN), MPor is preparing to launch its Waterway Monitoring Dashboard, a tool that will make it possible to track navigability conditions in real time across different regions of the country. The system will bring together hydrological data, operational information and strategic alerts to support decisions on dredging, channel maintenance and logistics operations during extreme weather events.

According to Ports and Airports Minister Tomé Franca, early action is essential to reducing social and economic impacts in the Amazon.

“We are acting preventively to reduce the impacts of a possible new drought in the region. Strengthening waterway monitoring and preparing actions in advance is essential to guaranteeing supplies, mobility and safety for the population that depends on rivers in everyday life,” he said.

Historic droughts and impacts in the North

The droughts recorded in 2023 and 2024 had direct effects on supplies and mobility in Brazil’s North region. Municipalities such as Manacapuru, Tabatinga, Itacoatiara and Parintins, all in Amazonas state, recorded critical river levels, affecting the transport of food, medicine and drinking water, while also disrupting economic activities such as fishing and smallholder farming.

In Itacoatiara, the Amazon River dropped to 83 centimeters in 2024. In Parintins, water levels fell to 1.9 meters, the lowest level recorded in 49 years. In addition to logistics difficulties, the drought isolated riverside and Indigenous communities and increased supply challenges in municipalities that depend on river transport.

According to experts, extreme weather events, combined with rising global temperatures and the influence of El Niño, have extended drought periods in the Amazon and increased navigation challenges in the region.

Monitoring and planning

To expand operations during critical periods, MPor and Dnit have been planning for waterway interventions at points considered strategic for navigation. The actions include continuous monitoring of river levels, early definition of priority stretches for dredging and coordination with logistics operators in the North region.

According to Otto Luiz Burlier, national secretary for Waterways and Navigation, preventive action is essential to reducing losses for the Amazon population.

“The Amazon depends directly on rivers to guarantee supplies, mobility and regional integration. That is why the federal government has been acting preventively, with continuous monitoring of navigability conditions and planning of the actions needed to reduce impacts on the population and the region’s logistics,” he said.

Source: MPOR

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