Emergency Response to Public Health and Environmental Crisis in the Brazilian Amazon Basin

finished

Throughout 2023, Brazil has suffered the impacts of climate change and intense phenomena such as El Niño. These impacts have also been reflected in the Amazon region, especially since September and October, with all 62 municipalities in the state of Amazonas facing an emergency of severe drought and it is estimated that there are 600,000 people directly affected.

The level of the river Rio Negro has reached an all-time low, which means that the transportation of the most basic and essential products (food, medicines, fuel) is compromised, as most of the secondary and tertiary tributaries are dry. Therefore, large vessels can no longer navigate the rivers, which makes it difficult, and in some cases impossible, to transport cargo and passengers by inland waterway. As a result, hundreds of communities and towns in the region are isolated.

Communities that depend directly on the water resources for survival, such as indigenous and riverside communities, are suffering the most from the consequences of the drought.
In total, the affected area represents around 20% of Brazil's territory (over 1.5 million km²), which equals roughly the size of Colombia and Venezuela combined.

Besides the drought, the state also recorded the worst fire index of the year, considered to be the most affected habitat in the country. More than 22,050 fires have been recorded since October 2023, which impact the entire population of the city of Manaus (>2 million people) and the surrounding area. The intense smoke in and around the city resulted in reaching a critical level of life-threatening air quality directly affecting the most vulnerable, including in particular children and pregnant women.

The purpose of this project is to complement the services provided by the public health care system in the Brazilian Amazon region with an immediate response to the drought in two phases:

1. To meet the most urgent needs in terms of health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene in the communities affected by the drought, with a special focus on guaranteeing the basic rights of the children and adolescents who live there.
2. To strengthen the capacity of municipalities and regions to respond to future water and climate-related emergencies in an adequate way.

To improve access to sufficient and safe drinking water, the project participants in the Amazon basin receive water purifiers and clay filters. They also learn about alternative water collection solutions and get technical support on the installation and maintenance of these systems.

The delivery of essential hygiene kits supports the sanitation needs of the participants. In addition, women and girls receive special menstrual sanitation kits. Health unit employees and community health agents are especially trained on remote basic health care needs and child protection.

To ensure an improvement of the situation in the longer run, technical support is provided to the riverside and indigenous communities to develop climate-resilient water security plans, which are carried out on water supply systems affected by drought.