Devastating droughts that have recurred in the Amazon over recent decades risk isolating riverside and indigenous communities, whose access to transportation is typically easier via rivers than roads.

This conclusion comes from a study by Brazilian researchers, who also assessed the impact on water levels during these droughts.

The bad news is that the rivers' minimum height, typical at the peak of the dry season, could last a month longer than normal in these circumstances. The study, published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, was coordinated by Letícia Santos de Lima from the Institute of Technology and Environmental Sciences at the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

To reach their conclusions, Lima and colleagues combined data on the distribution of local communities, rivers, and roads in the Amazon region, records of water levels over time, and reports on the impact of droughts from 2000 to 2020.

The study covers 2,521 indigenous villages and 3,259 rural settlements. Reduced access to waterways may hinder these communities' access to essential services such as schools and health centers.

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