Every year, residents of the city of Manaus, capital of the state of Amazonas in Brazil, face the flood of the Negro River, which invades part of the city, forcing the development of creative solutions to overcome the inconvenience caused by the floods. So, from wooden walkways to the floating fair, the city has embraced creative solutions so that the population could move around and guarantee their livelihood. People there are already used to it and already know how to proceed during the flood season, but everything becomes much more difficult and costly. Can you, who live on dry land, imagine yourself in this situation?

In the Amazon, the hydrographic network has always had a fundamental importance in the organization of the geographic space. This fact is due to the formation of the Amazon River basin, which has about 2.7 million square miles and is considered the basin with the largest volume of fresh water on the planet. In addition, the Amazon River basin is composed of the largest river in the world, the Amazon River, as well as having a unique hydrological regime referring to flood and ebb.

The floods and ebbs are nothing more than the fluctuations in the volume of water that the rivers present during the year. The Amazon basin has its natural cycle, that is, from June to November the water goes down, known how “ebb tide” and from December to May the water rises, performing the “flood.” The Amazon River has an extension of 2,705,947 mi² and has different names and different tributaries in its course. On the border between Brazil and Peru, the Amazon River is called Solimoes. When it follows its course to find the Negro River, which is close to the city of Manaus, it receives the name of Amazon River.

Citizens usually say that, in Manaus, there are only two seasons in the year: summer and heat. The rains and cloudy days during the period of heat are characteristic of the Amazon Winter, which occurs between December and May, in the northern states of Brazil. Jokes aside, there is no technical definition for the so-called “Amazonian Winter,” as it is just a popular name for the period of great rainfall in the region.

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During this period, partial or total overflow of the river bed may occur, and for this reason, the inhabitants of the city of Manaus developed spatial territorial organization strategies, building houses in the form of stilts in order to protect their houses from flooding. Located on the banks of rivers and streams in the city of Manaus, this type of construction takes place in an improvised way, built by the residents themselves on wooden logs, under the waters of the Negro River.

The city of Manaus is the capital of the state of Amazonas and is located on the left bank of the Negro River, with its mouth drowned by the Amazon River still within the limits of the municipality. When flooding occurs, the waters of the Negro River advance on the city, causing impacts mainly on the population living in the Educandos and Sao Raimundo basins.

On April 30, 2021, the Amazonian capital surpassed the level of severe flooding (95.14 feet). When the waters reach flood level, some neighborhoods in the capital begin to flood, as was the case with the streets in the Center of Manaus. In June 2021, the port of Manaus registered a level of 98.49 feet on the Negro River, the highest since 1902, thus characterizing the greatest flood in recorded history.

The city of Manaus built bridges and walkways to improve mobility and minimize the impact on residents during the flood period. This structure was part of Operation Flood 2021, developed by the Manaus City Hall, which served 21 neighborhoods with the construction of bridges and temporary walkways, surpassing the mark of 42,650 thousand feet built. In addition, several residents of houses on stilts, fearing that the flood might flood their homes, built an extra floor in the lower areas of the house.

The material used in the construction of bridges and walkways was intended to respect the natural characteristics of the buildings, in addition to complying with environmental standards with the use of materials that do not degrade nature. Although the structure is provisionally built every year, the Manaus City Hall has carried out a study and mapping of the flooded areas, in addition to seeking definitive solutions for the infrastructure of bridges and walkways. In this process, they have found ways to construct walkways quicker, while reducing the cost. In addition, several other flood prevention and aid actions were carried out in Operation Flood 2021 by the Civil Defense.

More than just guaranteeing the mobility of residents, the walkways also address a public health issue. This is what Alexandra Silva, who has lived in the city of Manaus for 17 years, told us. According to Silva, it is common to see children playing in the floodwaters, and she added, “The river is very polluted, the stench is horrible.” More than 1.5 tons of calcium oxide were applied to floodwaters in central areas of the city by the Civil Defense, with the aim of reducing odor and the proliferation of insects and diseases transmitted by stagnant water.

Despite not being a resident of the areas affected by the floods, Silva also said that due to her work, she needs to move to the city center and has already witnessed several floods. She comments, “I once took a taxi to the center along Torquato Avenue and there was a flood that took us by surprise that almost took the car we were in. The water got into the car, but thank God we managed to get out in time for the water volume to increase.”

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Several locations in the central area and historic buildings in Manaus are affected by flooding, in addition to inflicting flood losses on many homeless families, who lose everything they have. Silva also told us that squares, historic buildings, and the Manaus Moderna fair are the most affected. She reflected, “The Manaus Moderna fair is under water every year and the vendors do not work and spoil many products. But this year the city hall held a floating fair.”

In May 2021, Manaus City Hall innovated a creative solution, by inaugurating the first floating fair in Brazil. The structure consists of a raft that contains 221 boxes to house marketers affected by the flood. In addition, the city hall installed chemical toilets and a water treatment network, so that no waste was thrown into the river. Silvia Ribeiro, another resident of the city, told us, “Food is more expensive, more scarce due to the cultivation of vegetables and fruits being cultivated in the flooded regions.” Before the floating fair, many marketers were unable to guarantee the livelihood of their families, as many products were spoiled or customers did not show up due to flooding.

The geoscience researcher at the Geological Service and manager for the hydrological warning system in Amazonas, Luna Gripp, in an interview to Nascimento from Folha de Sao Paulo, said that there is no doubt that these events have become more frequent. She said that in less than three years, we have already repeated an event that should happen every 50 years if you consider what happened in the past. She added that in addition to the recurrence of events, they are of increasing magnitude. Furthermore, according to reference measurements carried out since 1902 at the port of Manaus, in the last ten years, there have been six of the ten biggest floods in Amazon history.

The water level of the Negro River has a great influence on the economic and social dynamics of the city and riverside dwellers located in nearby communities. Most houses built around the hydrographic basins are below 98.43 feet above sea level, which, according to the Master Plan of the Manaus City Hall, is a technical hazard zone, and therefore, should not have  anything built there because it is a risky area.

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But why do people even face the risks to live in these areas? It was believed that the occupation took place in these places for a cultural reason and the strong connection of the local population with the rivers. However, this thesis is not confirmed. According to Salazar, and Oliveira, studies have shown that the occupation of the surroundings of the basins was due to economic reasons, practicality in displacement, a privileged location in relation to commerce, convenience, and provision of services.

According to historian Otoni Mesquida, in an interview to Nascimento from Folha de Sao Paulo, in the 1950s, the urban growth of the city of Manaus stood out due to a floating configuration near the Manaus Moderna fair. There operated a kind of floating neighborhood and had several shops and services. However, in 1966, around 1950 houses that were part of this neighborhood were demolished. It is estimated that there were 11,500 residents in this area. Furthermore, the area was also considered to be disgraceful to the civilization and development of Manaus.

After the demolition, the city's residents spread out to neighborhoods on the outskirts of Manaus, some of which were in risky areas without proper infrastructure. This evolution showed the dynamic nature of Manaus, and confirmed that cities are more than just a location on a map; they are living organisms where generations of people choose to be.

If people live in a place, it is because something attracted them to that place, such as a deeper purpose. So, to wipe out a city, this purpose must be destroyed. Destroying a structure is not enough to end a city, because the structure can be rebuilt. So, like a mythical phoenix, the city of Manaus re-emerges and teaches us how to survive the floods that affect the city every year.

REFERENCES

Casa Militar. (2021, May 20). City Hall performs application of chemical product in standing water in Manaus Moderna. Manaus City Hall, May 20, 2021. Retrieved from https://www.manaus.am.gov.br/noticia/prefeitura-realiza-aplicacao-de-produto-quimico-em-agua-parada-na-manaus-moderna/

Fernandes, V. (2016). Socio-Environmental Impacts Caused by Floods, Negro River Exceptions in Manaus, AM Occurred Between 1950 to 2015. Retrieved from https://tede.ufam.edu.br/bitstream/tede/5771/5/Disserta%C3%A7%C3%A3o%20-%20Valdemir%20R.%20Fernandes.pdf

Maisonnave, F. (2021, June 01). Driven by climate change, Rio Negro records historic flood in Manaus. Folha de Sao Paulo, June 01, 2021. Retrieved from https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/ambiente/2021/06/impulsionado-pelas-mudancas-climaticas-rio-negro-registra-cheia-historica-em-manaus.shtml

Martins, B. (2021, June 17). Historic flood in the Amazon is a mixture of natural variability and climate change. Eco Organization, June 17, 2021. Retrieved from https://oeco.org.br/reportagens/cheia-historica-no-amazonas-e-uma-mistura-da-variabilidade-natural-com-mudancas-climaticas/

Nascimento, E. (2019, October 24). From the floating city to the stilts: The half century that narrates river urbanization in Manaus. G1 Amazon, October 24, 2019. Retrieved from https://g1.globo.com/am/amazonas/noticia/2019/10/24/da-cidade-flutuante-as-palafitas-o-meio-seculo-que-narra-a-urbanizacao-fluvial-em-manaus.ghtml

OLIVEIRA, J. A. (2013). Manaus from 1920 to 1967. The Sweet and Hard City. Manaus: EDUA, Valer, 2003.

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