Climate Adaptation

Brazil’s Worst Water Crisis in 91 Years Threatens Power Supplies

  • Hydroelectricity is a critical source of power in the country
  • Water-shortage warning is issued for five Brazilian states
The Itaipu hydroelectric dam stands along the Parana River in Foz do Iguacu, BrazilPhotographer: Adriano Machado/Bloomberg
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

Brazil’s water supplies are running so low that government authorities are sounding the alarm on a looming crisis that could shock Latin America’s largest economy just as it begins to recover from the pandemic.

“Brazil is going through the biggest water crisis of the past 91 years,” Energy Minister Bento Albuquerque said in a Thursday interview.