Why Porto Alegre was flooded: causes of the unprecedented collapse that is shaking Brazil

Porto Alegre The city is experiencing an unprecedented crisis: practically the entire city No water, no electricity, no supplies. The outlook is bleak because there is no rapid improvement in sight. rise of Guayba River On Monday, two other neighborhoods in the city center, which had been submerged since last Friday, were flooded.

Water invades neighborhoods Lower city And Menino DiosWhich led to the evacuation of hundreds of residents of those areas, in addition to a number of residents of hotels in the Strip.

The new flood occurred because Disconnect the drain pumpWhich was implemented based on the recommendation of the electricity company to avoid a short circuit, as stated by the Mayor of Porto Alegre, Sebastian Meloin a press conference.

The Guayba River flooded on Friday and on Sunday reached its historic high of 5.31 metresmore than two meters above the overflow level.

On Monday, the river level dropped by just three centimetres, and several districts in the city, the state capital, were affected Rio Grande do Sulas well as entire municipalities in the metropolitan area, where 4.3 million people live.

Porto Alegre is practically isolated. The airport has been closed since Saturday, and the bus station has been flooded since Sunday.

It was destroyed by storms Many infrastructuresSuch as bridges and roads, the reconstruction of which will require “billions,” according to preliminary calculations by some members of the national government.

At least 42 roads in the region remain completely or partially closed, and thousands of people suffer from water or electricity outages in their homes.

The Guayba Basin receives all its water from the Tacuari, Jaqui and Kai rivers, which are most affected by heavy rains. together, It represents about 90% of the total size of Guaíba Islandwhich has more lake than river characteristics and a naturally slow flow.

Heavy rains concentrated in four days caused the level of the Guayba River to rise from about 2 thousand cubic meters per second to 25 thousand cubic meters per second. Subsequently, The water rose very quickly.

The other problem is that it does not go down that fast and that is why the floods continue.. The slow flow is due to the unusual volume of water and also to the fact that it Guaiba flows through a narrow gorge Towards Laguna de los Patos, about two kilometers wide.

Going through a state of general disaster, Porto Alegre suffers from flooding due to the Guaíba floods, the main road supplying the city. Just last week, The water level rose more than two meters above flood level It reached a record high of 5.33 meters on Monday. The maximum without risk is 3 metres.

Added to this is the geography of the central river Rio Grande do Sul. There are a series of tributaries from within the state flowing into Answer mewhich under normal circumstances does not generate flood problems.

As rainfall increases, the amount of water feeding the river increases, which in turn faces difficulties in emptying into Lake Los Patos.

Bordered by Porto Alegre 24 km of external containment damswhich were installed as a means of preventing the possible advance of rivers under the city.

The system passes through several neighborhoods in the capital, and the area where there is a retaining wall is surrounded by 14 gates.

Last Saturday, the dam blocking the waters of the Gravati River overflowedlocated next to the Federation of Industries of Rio Grande do Sul (Verges), in the northern area of ​​Porto Alegre.

On that day, the Metropolitan Municipality of Rio Grande do Sul issued an evacuation warning for the area Sarandë districtIn the vicinity of the dam, the residents of the area continued to be evacuated with the support of the army and firefighters.

According to the Brazilian Geological Survey (SGB), lHalf of the rain expected for the entire year of 2024 fell in this state in recent days. “The situation is terrible. People are without infrastructure, practically in the dark. A lot of people come here,” he added. Paula Proustone of the volunteers who welcomes those arriving at a temporary shelter in Porto Alegre.

The situation is so critical that even if there is no rain in the next few days, it will still be dangerous.

There is expected to be more rain in the area.

Destruction and water progress remain until now At least 86 dead and 134 missingaccording to the latest balance issued by the regional authorities.

Adds new stock of victims Two deceased and 23 missing in the previous list A victim of the disaster that seriously affected a large part of the country Rio Grande do Sulon the border with Argentina and Uruguay.

The authorities are investigating Causes of death of four othersTo determine if it is related to the rains affecting southern Brazil a week ago.

The most affected area is Rio Grande do Sulwhere 85 deaths out of 86 were recordedThe other death occurred in a neighboring state St. Catharina.

Data issued by the local civil defense indicate this 153,824 people were forced to leave their homes And moving to places with family and friends, while Another 47,676 are living in temporary shelters By the authorities.

brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da SilvaAnd he promised that Bureaucracy will not be an obstacle In the state’s recovery efforts, all necessary resources will be provided to the region.

“We owe a lot to Rio Grande del Sur and the Gaucho people.”Lola said.

Lula visited the region this weekend at the head of a delegation consisting of a number of his government ministers and Senate presidents. Rodrigo Pachecothe House of Representatives, Artur Lirawho announced that Congress will vote this week “Extraordinary measures” for financial aid.

“We are at warI know that this is how President Lula feels, and there will be no restrictions or legal restrictions. “It is necessary to get rid of bureaucracy, obstacles and restrictions so that nothing is missing in the reconstruction of Rio Grande del Sur,” Pacheco said.