Drought Turns Sao Paulo's River Emerald Green, Skies Grey
"Drought transforms Sao Paulo's river into an emerald green spectacle while the skies take on a grey hue."
TroibNews 
In the Brazilian metropolis of Sao Paulo, the Pinheiros River has taken on an emerald green hue, while the once blue skies have turned grey this week. In the late afternoon, the sunlight filtering through the smoky haze casts a deep orange glow.
This isn't a scene from a fantasy; rather, it reflects the environmental challenges that have altered the city's landscape in recent days.
The state's environmental authority links the river's unusual green color to an algae bloom, triggered by severe drought conditions that have drastically reduced water levels. This phenomenon was first observed on Monday and persisted into Tuesday. During the same period, the city has been enveloped in smoke-filled air, attributed by the agency to a hot, dry air mass that has inhibited the dispersal of pollutants from wildfires in forested regions.
Brazil is currently facing its most significant drought in over seventy years, with 59 percent of the country experiencing some level of stress—an area roughly half the size of the United States. Many rivers in the Amazon basin are registering historic lows. Uncontrolled, human-caused wildfires in the Amazon rainforest and other regions have devastated protected areas and sent smoke across a wide area, further deteriorating air quality throughout the nation.
Residents in South America’s most populous city are expressing their discontent over the pervasive smoke and a foul odor emanating from the river.
For two consecutive days, the smoke led Sao Paulo, a metropolitan area home to 21 million people, to rank as having the second-most polluted air worldwide, according to data from IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company.
The environmental agency for Sao Paulo state declared the air quality in the metropolitan area as very poor on Tuesday, issuing recommendations for residents to refrain from intense outdoor activities, stay hydrated, and keep windows and doors closed.
Lucas Dupont contributed to this report for TROIB News
This isn't a scene from a fantasy; rather, it reflects the environmental challenges that have altered the city's landscape in recent days.
The state's environmental authority links the river's unusual green color to an algae bloom, triggered by severe drought conditions that have drastically reduced water levels. This phenomenon was first observed on Monday and persisted into Tuesday. During the same period, the city has been enveloped in smoke-filled air, attributed by the agency to a hot, dry air mass that has inhibited the dispersal of pollutants from wildfires in forested regions.
Brazil is currently facing its most significant drought in over seventy years, with 59 percent of the country experiencing some level of stress—an area roughly half the size of the United States. Many rivers in the Amazon basin are registering historic lows. Uncontrolled, human-caused wildfires in the Amazon rainforest and other regions have devastated protected areas and sent smoke across a wide area, further deteriorating air quality throughout the nation.
Residents in South America’s most populous city are expressing their discontent over the pervasive smoke and a foul odor emanating from the river.
For two consecutive days, the smoke led Sao Paulo, a metropolitan area home to 21 million people, to rank as having the second-most polluted air worldwide, according to data from IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company.
The environmental agency for Sao Paulo state declared the air quality in the metropolitan area as very poor on Tuesday, issuing recommendations for residents to refrain from intense outdoor activities, stay hydrated, and keep windows and doors closed.
Lucas Dupont contributed to this report for TROIB News
