fOCUS Amazônia
Quando as águas/When the Waters
Words & Images Raphael Alves Translation C. Cornell Evers
Quando as águas/When the Waters is a photographic project that seeks to explore the relationship between man and the water cycle in the Amazon. These issues are addressed in the context of the eternal dichotomy of ebb (vazante) and flow (enchente) that sustains the continuity of life in the water and to which the Amazonian people have historically had to adapt.
In addition, Quando as águas/When the Waters proposes a debate on the evident effects of climate change around the world, which have a direct impact on events related to the water cycle in this region: episodes of extreme flooding and devastating droughts are becoming more frequent.
As a parameter to assess the intensity with which the phenomena are occurring, it is enough to point out that the record of the water level of the Rio Negro during a flood period was broken for the first time after 56 years, since the river began to be ‘measured’ (in 1902): it reached 29.69 meters in 1953 and 29.71 in 2009. That year, the rising waters caused many problems, especially in Manaus (the largest city in the Amazon), such as the flooding of riverside communities; the diversion of traffic, as several streets were flooded; commercial losses, as shops were submerged; and the spread of disease, as the flooding period caused the sewage system in the central region of the city to overflow.
Many people thought that such an extreme event would not happen again for another half century. They were wrong. In 2012, the level of the Negro reached 29.97 meters, and all the problems of the 2009 flood came back stronger as Manaus grew more and more.
In 2013, the flood reached 29.33 meters. Although it didn't break the records of 2012 and 2009, the 2013 flood is one of the most intense ever recorded. In 2021, the Negro reached a new record: 30.02m. It was the biggest flood the Amazon basin has ever seen.
Droughts are also becoming more frequent. On the Negro River, the first record drought in 1964 (when the water level dropped to 13.64 meters) was surpassed only in 2010 (by one centimeter, when the water level dropped to 13.63 meters). The worst was yet to come. In 2023, two years after a major flood, the Amazon Basin experienced the largest and most severe drought in its history. All 62 municipalities in Amazonas went into a state of emergency. The Quando as águas/When the Waters project has witnessed these limits being pushed further and further to the extreme.
See the rest of the pictures in the series and more stories here: fOCUS Amazônia
Note: The text and captions of the photographs in Quando as águas/When the Waters refer, among other things, to the water levels of the Rio Negro. It should be noted that the Rio Negro does not have a fixed ‘normal’ water level, as it fluctuates daily, monthly and annually depending on the amount of rainfall. To determine the water level, the average rainfall for each period is taken into account. A water level above 27.50 meters indicates flooding, while a level above 29.00 meters indicates severe flooding. Conversely, a level below 16.75 meters indicates severe drought.
Annual water levels can be found here: Nível do Rio Negro > Níveis Máximo e Mínimo
And also the daily levels by clicking on ‘Nível do Rio’ on the left.
Raphael Alves' series Quando as águas/When the Waters is his entry for the Portfólio category of the 2024 FOTODOC PORTFOLIO AWARD, a platform for publishing the work of Brazilian and foreign photographers, with annual prizes.
Organized by FotoDoc - Festival of Documentary Photography, the aim of the competition is to give visibility to the most diverse forms of photographic expression, without restriction of theme or approach, always seeking excellence in form and content.
Born in Manaus (Amazonas, Brazil), Raphael Alves studied Social Communication with a major in Journalism at the Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM), Photography at the State University of Londrina (UEL) and Visual Arts at the National Commercial Education Service (SENAC). He also holds a Master of Arts degree in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography from the London College of Communication / University of the Arts, in London (ING). Raphael's work has won Pictures of the Year Latin America - POYLatam (2017 and 2021) and Pictures of the Year International POYi (2022), as well as the Getty Images Editorial Grant (2021). In 2023, his work won The Nature Conservancy Contest.
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