Drought sparks disease, hinders travel between indigenous villages

The drought has dried up rivers near the Javari Valley indigenous land, severely restricting the movement of communities between the region's 74 villages. Additionally, many indigenous people are falling ill due to the lack of access to drinking water and are left without proper medical care, as they rely on river transportation for services.

The Union of Indigenous Peoples of the Javari Valley (Univaja) issued this warning on Wednesday (Oct. 2). In its statement, the organization called for immediate action from the federal government, criticizing its lack of response to the pressing issues currently affecting the region.

There are also more urgent and specific requests, including the provision of helicopters and the transfer of sick indigenous individuals to urban areas where they can receive medical care—particularly a man from the São Sebastião community who urgently needs anti-ophidian serum. The organization has also reported deaths due to the current conditions, as well as children suffering from vomiting and diarrhea.

The severity of the situation came to the organization's attention a few days ago, when it was discovered that the rivers had become impassable. Univaja also reports having met with representatives from the national indigenous authority Funai and the Secretariat for Indigenous Health (Sesai) to evaluate the crisis and seek solutions to the emerging challenges.

“The situation is not only hindering people's mobility but has also led to a significant increase in the prices of essential supplies for the survival of local communities, including gasoline, drinking water, and medicine,” the institution stated.

“The level of concern is high, as Univaja has yet to see an adequate response from the institutions responsible for supporting indigenous peoples. The ongoing challenges are endangering the lives of these communities and threatening their ancestral culture, particularly affecting those in urgent need of medical care,” Univaja added.

Homologated in 2001, the Javari Valley indigenous land spans 8.5 million hectares, making it Brazil's second-largest indigenous territory, after the Yanomami land, which covers 9.6 million hectares. The area is situated in the municipalities of Atalaia do Norte and Guajará, in the western region of Amazonas state, bordering Colombia and Peru.

The Javari Valley is home to the largest population of indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation in the world. Brazil's Socio-Environmental Institute (ISA) estimates that there are around 25 communities in the region. This number may vary, as these communities prefer to maintain their distance from non-indigenous individuals and sometimes even from other indigenous groups.

Last week, Agência Brasil provided an overview of the data presented in the report Amazon on the Brink of Collapse - Quarterly Bulletin on Extreme Drought in the Indigenous Lands of the Brazilian Amazon, published by the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (Coiab).

The document highlights that in July alone, extreme drought impacted 42 territories and 3,000 indigenous households, affecting 15 peoples, including one isolated group. Coiab also reported that the severe drought disrupted the operations of 110 schools and 40 health units within these territories.