REUTERS/Bruno Kelly Acquire Licensing RightsMANAUS, Brazil, Oct 16 (Reuters) - The Amazon River fell to its lowest level in over a century on Monday at the heart of the Brazilian rainforest as a record drought upends the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and damages the jungle ecosystem.
Rapidly drying tributaries to the mighty Amazon have left boats stranded, cutting off food and water supplies to remote villages, while high water temperatures are suspected of killing more than 100 endangered river dolphins.
That is the lowest level since records began in 1902, passing a previous all-time low set in 2010.
After months without rain, rainforest villager Pedro Mendonca was relieved when a Brazilian NGO delivered supplies to his riverside community near Manaus late last week.
The drought has threatened their access to food, drinking water and medicines, which are usually transported by river.
Persons:
Bruno Kelly, Pedro Mendonca, Mendonca, Santa Helena do, Nelson Mendonca, Santa Helena do Ingles, Luciana Valentin, Jake Spring, Gabriel Stargardter, Steven Grattan, Marguerita Choy, Sandra Maler
Organizations:
REUTERS, Rights, Rio Negro, Brazil's Science Ministry, El, Fundacao Amazonia Sustentavel, Sao Paulo, Thomson
Locations:
Rio Negro, Manaus, Brazil, Rights MANAUS, Brazilian, Santa Helena, Santa Helena do Ingles, Amazonas, parched, Sao