Drought has dried a major Amazon River tributary to its lowest level in over 122 years

Associated Press

MANAUS, Brazil (AP) — Brazil’s geological service says that one of the Amazon River’s main tributaries has dropped to its lowest level in 122 years, reflecting a severe drought that has devastated the Amazon rainforest and other parts of the country. The level of the Negro River at the port of Manaus was at 12.66 meters on Friday, as compared with a normal level of about 21 meters. The Negro River drains about 10% of the Amazon basin and is the world’s sixth-largest by water volume. Manaus, the biggest city in the rainforest, is where the Negro joins the Amazon River, which in Brazil is called the Solimoes River upstream.