Drought leaves hundreds of riverside dwellers isolated in Roraima

In the North of Brazil, the drought affects all cities in Roraima. Hundreds of riverside dwellers are isolated.

The river that passes in front of the Panacarica community, on the border between Roraima and Amazonas, has dried up. Residents draw water from a pump more than 1.5 km from the site.

"This hose comes from the community, it goes to where there is water, to supply the houses", says a man.

Also in the city of Caracaraí, in the south of the state, is the Caicubi community. Larger boats are no longer able to navigate and are stopped, which has hampered the arrival of food and medical aid, according to a community leader.

"The boats are already anchored in the village's port, there is no way to move anymore. So, we are in a state of calamity. Farmers feel the impacts with their crops, there is no way to remove the patients", says resident Julio Araújo.

In both communities, 600 people face the consequences of the drought. Of the 15 municipalities in Roraima, 13 are in a severe drought, according to Cemaden.

On the edge of Boa Vista it is so dry that it is now possible to reach the middle of the Rio Branco on foot. As it hardly rains, the situation is likely to get worse. According to Civil Defense, the drought in Roraima will persist for the next five months.

"This is a moment of alert, it is an emergency, especially considering that we are in the month of November and we still have at least four or five more months of summer here in our region, and it will get worse", says Colonel Anderson Carvalho de Matos, coordinator of Civil Protection and Defense/RR.

Civil Defense reported that teams are going to communities to bring help. Since September, the state has been in emergency due to drought and forest fires. According to Inpe, the number of fires already exceeds the 2025 total by more than 60%.