Boa Vista City Hall has decreed an emergency situation in the capital due to the severe drought affecting Roraima. The legal determination, which covers the areas of agriculture, Civil Defence, Public Services and the Environment, was signed by Mayor Arthur Henrique and published in the city's Official Gazette on Monday (18). Of the 15 municipalities in Roraima, 10 are in a state of emergency, including the capital. The state is currently facing a dry period. With the lack of rain, rivers have dried up and there have been forest fires that have consumed houses, animals and vegetation. Responsible for supplying drinking water to the capital, the Rio Branco, Roraima's main water source, reached minus 32 centimetres, the lowest level recorded in 2024. The drought has been aggravated by the El Niño phenomenon, when there is an abnormal warming of the equatorial Pacific. One of the goals of the emergency decree is to "make it possible to store drinking water in water tanks and cisterns for human consumption" in the capital. As a result, the Secretariats of Agriculture and Indigenous Affairs, Urban Security and Traffic, through Civil Defence, Public Services and the Environment are authorised to purchase goods, services and hire staff to deal with the emergency.

Source: Amazon Agency