Smoke caused by forest fires also affects other cities in Amazonas. In Parintins, the concentration of polluting particles reached 385.4 µg/m³ this Monday (9).
Smoke from forest fires left the air terrible in Parintins this Monday (9). Therefore, classes were suspended and commercial flights ended up cancelled.
Sensors from the State University of Amazonas recorded high levels of pollution in Parintins and neighboring cities. The situation was classified from bad to terrible.
Firefighters have fought 24,650 fires in the state since June. Furthermore, the fines imposed by the environmental protection agency total R$190.7 million.
Smoke caused by forest fires continues to affect air quality in Parintins, in the interior of Amazonas, this Monday (9). The situation, which was already critical over the weekend, led to the suspension of classes in municipal and state education networks and the cancellation of commercial flights.
Images taken by drone on Monday morning show Tupinambarana island covered by a dense layer of smoke.
Data from the Electronic Environmental Surveillance System (Selva), from the State University of Amazonas (UEA), show that the concentration of fine particles reached 385.4 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³) in Parintins at 6:14 am this Monday. At 12:02 pm, the index was 290.6 µg/m³. In Vila Amazônia, a community in the municipality, the measurement reached 372.2 µg/m³.
In other municipalities, sensors also recorded high rates. Barreirinha had 296.5 µg/m³; São Sebastião do Uatumã, 201.3 µg/m³; Itapiranga, 178.5 µg/m³; and Silves, 136.1 µg/m³. The four municipalities were in the range considered terrible by Selva.
In Urucará, the concentration was 123.8 µg/m³, and in Boa Vista do Ramos, 116.3 µg/m³, rates classified as very poor. In Itacoatiara, the measurement reached 90.6 µg/m³, while Urucurituba recorded 57.9 µg/m³, both in the poor range.
In Parintins, the city hall announced on Saturday (7) the continued suspension of activities in all schools and early childhood education centers in the municipal network, in urban, suburban and rural areas. The measure is valid for an indefinite period of time and was adopted to protect students and education professionals from the effects of smoke.
This Monday (9), the State Department of Education and School Sports also announced the suspension of state classes in the municipality. The strike is valid this Monday and Tuesday (10), with a return scheduled for Wednesday (11).
According to the secretariat, the decision considers the alert issued by the Amazonas Civil Defense Monitoring and Alert Center (Cemoa), which classified the air quality in Parintins as terrible.
The smoke also hampered operations at the municipality's airport. According to the terminal administration, the Azul commercial flight scheduled for this Monday was canceled due to low visibility.
Parintins airport operates by visual reference. This means that the pilot needs to be able to see the runway to make safe landings and takeoffs, even with the navigation aids available.
In addition to commercial flights, the situation also affects air medical transport operations, used to take patients to other municipalities, and other essential services.
In Manaus, data from Selva also showed a worsening in air quality throughout this Monday morning.
Of the 14 sensors installed in the capital, one recorded very poor air quality, in the South Zone, with a concentration of 75.4 µg/m³. The other 13 indicated a moderate level, with measurements that reached 73.1 µg/m³ in an area close to Industrial District 2 and Puraquequara. In Parque Dez de Novembro, the index was 32.4 µg/m³.
At around 4am, four sensors recorded moderate air quality, one indicated a very poor level and the others indicated poor conditions.
According to Civil Defense, between June 1st and November 7th, the Amazonas Military Fire Department (CBMAM) recorded 4,050 incidents related to urban and forest fires. During the period, teams worked to combat 24,650 fires across the state. Of this total, 4,771 were registered in the capital and 19,879 in the interior.
The Amazonas Environmental Protection Institute (Ipaam) also reported that, between July 1st and November 5th, it applied 743 infraction notices and 697 environmental embargoes. The measures affected an area of 78,793.45 hectares and resulted in R$190.7 million in fines.
The state government reported that it maintains inspection and firefighting operations in municipalities in Amazonas, using drones, vehicles and teams in the field.
