Global climate change and El Niño prompt opposite but simultaneous environmental processes.
On Sunday, the Civil Defense confirmed that at least seven people were killed and three more still missing due to heavy rains in southern Brazil.
The heavy rains left at least four dead and two missing in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, while three died and another was missing in the state of Santa Catarina. Over 31,000 people have been affected by the rains, and some 1,600 citizens have been evacuated in the face of flooding.
At least 62 out of 295 municipalities in Santa Catarina have been affected, with a state of emergency declared in 17 of them, the Civil Defense said, adding that roads and towns have also been cut off.
The rains and strong winds have also caused problems in the country’s most populous state of Sao Paulo, with gusts exceeding 80 kph that knocked down trees in the region.
The text reads, “The line of fire in the Pantanal already exceeds human capacity to control it. The key now is to prevent tragedies from happening in homes. The rains should already be falling, but there is no sign of them. It is worrying that it is still We have no prospect of getting there.”
Meanwhile, in other areas of Brazil, nature is causing disasters as a result of the lack of rain. On Sunday, the flames continued to devour everything in their path in the Pantanal, the largest wetland on the planet which is shared by Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay.
All this happened in the midst of a climate of tension with the area’s landowners, who use silence and coercion to prevent the spread of the disaster.
Never before had the Pantanal, suffered so many fires in November, a traditionally rainy month. There have been about 3,880 fires so far this month. Among the related causes are the El Niño phenomenon and the extreme drought suffered by the Amazon.
Source: Telesur
