What can be the worst thing that human habitats will suffer due to climate change if rivers will fall to the lowest level across the globe? A recent media report on the 'drying up' of rivers in the Amazon basin poses an alarming for the rest of the world. 

According to an international news agency, the Solimoes, one of the major tributaries of the Amazon River that originates from the Andes and flows into Peru has fallen to its lowest level on record in Tabatinga, the Brazilian town. 

As a result, the downriver in Tefé, a branch of the Solimoes, has dried up completely, as per the report. 

The nearby Lake Tefé, where more than 200 freshwater dolphins died in last year's drought, has also dried up, leaving human habitats to suffer from extreme water and food crisis. 

As the riverbed of the branch of the Solimoes has turned into a massive long sandbank affecting the vegetation, the locals, who are dependent on boat service for transportation, have to walk across the riverbed for long hours to reach their destination. 

The report said that the villages have been cut off without transport because the water is too shallow for boats to travel on, food supplies, and drinking water.

With the drought situation getting worse day by day, the water level of the Solimoes is expected to drop further in the coming days, deepening the crisis for villagers. 

According to reports, the Solimoes in Tabatinga were measured at 4.25 meters below average for the first half of September. At Tefé, the river was 2.92 meters below the average level for the same two weeks last year and is expected to drop further to its lowest ever.

In Manaus, the Amazon's largest city, where the Solimoes joins the Rio Negro to form the Amazon River, the level of the Rio Negro is approaching the record low reached in October last year.

The environmentalists said that it is the climate change caused by global warming affecting the rivers in the Amazon basin.

Seems like climate change is not something to worry about in the near future, but it is affecting human lives with much more force than anticipated. 

[Disclaimer: This story is a part of ‘Punascha Pruthibi – One Earth. Unite for It’, an awareness campaign by Sambad Digital.]