Financial Times: Brazil is experiencing its worst drought as it struggles to contain Corona

The British "Financial Times" newspaper reported, in its issue issued today, Saturday, that Brazil is currently experiencing the worst drought in a century, while it is struggling to contain the pandemic of the emerging Corona virus "Covid-19", which has killed nearly half a million citizens. Brazilian.

The newspaper said (at the beginning of a report it published on its website in this regard) that the lack of water and the increasing risk of power outages threatened the country’s agricultural industry, which represents about 30% of GDP, as well as complicating the government’s efforts to recover from the impact of the Corona virus epidemic. .

She added that the agricultural centers in the states of "São Paulo" and "Mato Grosso do Sul" were affected very badly, after the last rainy season, which the country awaits during the period between November and March of each year, produced the lowest level of rainfall in 20 years. .

Water levels in the Cantarera water storage system in Sao Paulo state, which serves about 7.5 million people who live there, have fallen to less than a tenth of its capacity this year, with Brazil's Ministry of Energy and Mines calling it the country's worst drought in 91 years.

"Recently, we have been suffering from a lack of water throughout the day, especially at night, so that we didn't have any water for the whole day yesterday," said Nelsa Maria Silva Duarte from the Eastern District of Sao Paulo.

While Jose Francisco Goncalves, professor of ecology at Brasilia City University, stressed that the drought that the country is currently experiencing has had a devastating impact on the agricultural sector, which accounts for about 30 percent of the gross domestic product.

He pointed out that "the lack of water in rivers and reservoirs means that farmers will not be able to irrigate their lands, which will inevitably lead to a decline in agricultural production." .

Jose Odilon, a farmer from the Sao Paulo city of Ribeirão Preto, said his sugarcane crop had been badly damaged.

At the same time, Marcelo Laterman, a climate activist from the Brazilian organization Greenpeace, considered that the current drought is directly linked to deforestation in the Amazon region, which increased its rate last year to its highest level in more than a decade, as the water recycling system in the forest It plays a vital role in the distribution of precipitation across South America.

The Financial Times also quoted global estimates that confirmed that since hydropower accounts for about 65 percent of Brazil's electricity production, the drought has also reduced electricity production. This has forced a switch to more expensive thermal power, driving up electricity prices for businesses and consumers by as much as 40 percent this year.

Laterman added, in this regard, that “the current model based on hydroelectricity and thermal energy is not sustainable. Therefore, the recent drought has put increased pressure on the reservoirs of hydropower plants and we have had to revitalize the thermoelectric plants – which, in addition to being expensive, is It increases greenhouse gas emissions and exacerbates economic and environmental problems.”

In response to the crisis, Brazil's government issued warnings of potential power outages, raising fears of energy rationing. Local media reported that the government is studying a decree on rationing to control the use of electricity in times of shortage. The Ministry of Mines and Energy said it was discussing energy rationing with "large consumers and industry in times of increased energy demand."