State of emergency: Once-in-a-century drought in Amazon

The largest rainforest area in the world, the Amazon, is suffering from the most severe drought in over a century.

The planet's lungs are experiencing a crisis. The consequences from the drought in the Amazon for both people and animals could be devastating. A state of emergency has been declared.

The Amazon basin lacks what it normally has in abundance: water. The world's most water-rich region is currently experiencing its worst drought since records began more than 120 years ago. Hundreds of thousands of people are suffering.

The population on the river banks in particular has massive problems. Many people usually only get around the rivers by boat.

Due to the low water level however, numerous boats have run aground and supplying communities with water, food or medicine is becoming increasingly difficult.

The government in the state of Amazonas declared a state of emergency for all 62 districts. Almost 600,000 people are affected.

In recent days, around 70 dead freshwater dolphins have been found in the municipality of Coari, approximately 360 kilometres from Manaus.

At the end of September, over 100 dead freshwater dolphins were discovered in the same region of Lake Tefé.

Periods of drought do occur from time to time in the Amazon region. But what sets this drought apart from others is the speed at which the rivers are drying up. Many had no warning to prepare.

Experts are also alarmed. The water levels of some of the most important rivers have recently fallen to an unprecedented extent.

The state of Amazonas is particularly affected by the current drought. The Rio Negro - the second largest tributary of the Amazon - reached near the provincial capital at the end of October. Manaus saw the lowest levels since official measurements began.

Researchers cite warm water anomalies in the eastern Pacific and the tropical Atlantic, as result of El Niño, as the cause of the ongoing drought. The climatic phenomenon leads to a decrease in rainfall in the Amazon basin due to complex flow changes.