Over 420,000 children in the Amazon region are facing severe drought and water shortages
The United Nations reports that over 420,000 children in the Amazon region are facing severe drought and water shortages across Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. This unprecedented drought, ongoing since last year, has impacted Indigenous and other communities reliant on waterways, according to UNICEF. Ahead of the COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan, UNICEF’s Executive Director, Catherine Russell, urged world leaders to increase climate funding for children, emphasizing that the Amazon’s health is vital to global well-being.
The drought has led to food insecurity, raising concerns about child malnutrition, while limited access to clean water increases the risk of infectious diseases. In Brazil’s Amazon region, over 1,700 schools and 760 medical clinics have closed due to low river levels. In Colombia, water and food shortages forced 130 schools to suspend classes, and in Peru, more than 50 clinics became inaccessible.
UNICEF estimates it will need $10 million in the coming months to provide water and deploy health services to affected communities. Agencies such as NASA’s Earth Observatory and the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service attribute the drought to the 2023-2024 El Niño event in the Pacific.
