Brazil is currently experiencing the worst drought in its history, which extends about 5 million square kilometers, equivalent to 58 percent of the national territory, and 500,000 square kilometers more than in 2015, the National Center for Surveillance and Alert of Natural Catastrophes (Cemaden) warned today.
According to an index that measures the amount of water from rain and evapotranspiration of plants, the current situation exceeds the droughts of 1998 and 2015/2016.
Cemaden data since 1950 show that low levels of precipitation and stress on vegetation, which is also a fire risk factor, cause Brazil to move into increasingly dry years, according to the institute.
The August drought monitoring bulletin, published by Cemaden yesterday, points out that 3,978 Brazilian municipalities were at some level of drought, with 201 of them in extreme condition, the worst recorded.
The figure, according to the centre’s forecast, could reach 4,583 this month. The institute’s integrated drought index takes into account the deficit of precipitation and soil moisture, as well as the dryness of the vegetation.
According to the centre, the situation is likely to continue due to the delay in the rains, with the drought likely to intensify throughout the central and northern regions of the country.
This article has been translated after first appearing in El Pais