MANAUS, Brazil: Not far from the emblematic site where the black waters of the Rio Negro join the brown currents of the Solimoes, two chief tributaries of the Amazon, what once was a lake has given way to a vast stretch of cracked mud.
DRY SPELL In this aerial view, boats are seen stranded in Aleixo Lake due to the severe drought west of Manaus, Amazonas State, on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023. Manaus City Hall declared a state of emergency due to the current drought, which is already one of the worst on record. Davi Marina is the main departure point for tourist attractions and riverside communities. AFP PHOTO
Now, the only water remaining in what had been the Lago de Aleixo is a narrow stream, a symbol of the drought that has gripped Brazil's Amazonas state and its jungle capital Manaus.
A man works to direct a canoe carrying a heavy refrigerator through this sluggish trickle, but his efforts are slow-going — the water barely reaches up to his knees.
His immediate surroundings are sucked dry, even as the greenery of the planet's largest rainforest is visible all around.
Nearby, 62-year-old retiree Maria Auxiliadora da Silva must lean against the trunk of a downed tree to avoid sinking into the mud as she walks home carrying a heavy bag.
"We don't have anywhere to go, so we'll stay here until the water returns," she told Agence France-Presse (AFP), glancing sadly at her wooden floating house that is now trapped in the sludge.
"Before, it held up well (floating in the lake)," she said of her home. "Now, it's all damaged."
Stranded boats dot the landscape.
One large two-story passenger vessel is clearly listing to one side. Its name is visible: the Victory of Jesus.