The Amazon river has dropped to its lowest level in 40 years in north-eastern Peru, causing severe economic disruption in a region where it is the main transport route, BBC online reports Thursday
The low water level is the result of a prolonged spell of dry weather, Peru’s national meteorological office said. The river is expected to fall further before the rainy season begins next month.
Iquitos and other towns in Peru’s rainforest region have no road links to the rest of the country, and depend on the Amazon and its tributaries for transport.
River level in Iquitos had fallen to 106 meters above sea level, 50 cm lower than a previous record set in 2005. Iquitos, the biggest city in the Peruvian Amazon, is more than 3.000 km from the mouth of the river in Brazil.
The Amazon is the world’s second-longest river, after the Nile, but discharges far more water from its mouth and drains more territory.
