IN PICS | Wildfires in dry Amazon rainforest are choking this nearby city

A cloud of dense gray smoke set on the Brazilian city of Manaus making the air increasingly unbreathable, reported Reuters, on Thursday (Oct 12). The dense smoke which residents say has not been seen in decades have been attributed to dozens of wildfires in the Brazilian Amazon, many of them started illegally. 

Recently, the residents of the capital of the vast state of Amazonas, Manaus have complained of stinging noses and throats.

"My nose stings all the time and so do my eyes, even when they are closed. We can't breathe properly," said university student Ronny Gonsalves (not in the image), as quoted by Reuters. 

She added, "I cannot see the horizon."

A report by the news agency citing experts said that the smog is coming from fires around the city and inside its metropolitan area which are often deliberately set to clear trees for agriculture and urban development without permits.

The region had already suffering due to very dry conditions caused by a severe drought, not to mention the record high temperatures which have not only helped ignite but also spread the fires, said Carlos Durigan, Brazil's country director for the Wildlife Conservation Society.

The quality of the air is so bad that even the normally chirpy tropical birds are silent, the residents have said. 

The region is under pressure from the El Nino weather phenomenon which is marked by extreme weather events and the rainfall in the northern Amazon is well below the historical average. 

The streams and tributaries that run into the Amazon have fallen to near record levels.

The umbrella organization APIAM which represents 63 tribes in the Amazon called on the Brazilian government to declare a climate emergency, on Tuesday (Oct 10)

The group's leader said that their villages have no drinking water, food or medicine due to a severe drought which as dried up rivers necessary for for travel in the rainforest. 

"We ask the government to declare a climate emergency to urgently address the vulnerability Indigenous peoples are exposed to," APIAM urged in a statement.

The image shows an aerial view of the city of Manaus, capital of Amazonas State, in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest, taken on June 10, 2022.

The smoke-filled air and reports of wildfires have prompted Brazil's government to send teams of firefighters to contain the forest fires. Notably, wildfires in the Amazon rainforest have been more common in past years to the southwest of Manaus in the states of Rondonia and Acre.

Brazil's country director for the Wildlife Conservation Society also said that many roads built around Manaus have led to faster deforestation within and outside the metropolitan area, adding that land grabbers often set fires to illegally clear land, according to Reuters. 

"Today was one of the worst days with the heat and smoke because normally, from the window, we can see the bridge, we can see the whole river, and now we can't see anything," Maria Lucia de Freitas told Reuters, who said the smog first appeared over Manaus a month ago.

Image shows clouds of smoke blanketing Manaus port, in October 2023.