Santarém asks state and federal governments for help to combat the spread of fires

The request was formalized by Mayor José Maria Tapajós through a letter sent to the government of Pará, the Ministries of Environment and Justice, Ibama and ICMBio. The objective is to contain active fire fronts in rural areas, along highways (such as BR-163 and PA-370) and on the borders with the municipalities of Belterra, Mojuí dos Campos and Uruará.

"The drought increases the risks and makes it even more urgent to reinforce firefighting teams and equipment. Therefore, we request the support of the state and federal governments to expand this response capacity and protect our population", highlighted the mayor.

The concern about the fires goes beyond the destruction of the forest. The smoke generated by rural fires is carried by the wind and already harms the health of urban residents.

Until this Monday (19), 423 consultations were recorded, while in October 2025 the total was 308. The increase is approximately 37% compared to the numbers for the entire previous month.

This Tuesday (20), monitoring by the international platform IQAir classified the air quality in Santarém as moderate. The concentration of fine particles (PM2.5) in the atmosphere reached 13.2 micrograms per cubic meter, which represents 2.6 times the annual limit recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Fine particles are highly harmful because they can penetrate deep into the respiratory system. The recommendation for more vulnerable people, such as children, the elderly and people with heart or respiratory diseases, is to reduce physical exertion outdoors and avoid keeping windows open during periods of more intense smoke.

Pending the return from the state and federal spheres, the Municipal Environment Secretariat (Semma) and the Risk Management Committee continue to monitor hot spots and carry out inspection actions.

The Secretary of the Environment, Vânia Portela, reinforces that the territorial extension of the municipality requires external support. "Semma works on supervision and guidance, but the size of our territory and climatic conditions require additional resources for a quick response", he explained.