The greatest climate tragedy in the history of Rio Grande do Sul caused great damage in almost all municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul. There were intense rains, landslides and floods. The situation is so dramatic that some cities have already reported that they are unable to rebuild everything that was destroyed. And there are even those who are thinking about moving the entire city to prevent the situation from happening again.
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The objective is to move the city away from nearby rivers
The municipality of Barra do Rio Azul, located in the north of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, is studying the possibility of moving commerce and homes away from the Paloma and Azul rivers. The city of 1,900 inhabitants suffered its second flood in the last six months.
Mayor Marcelo Arruda explains that a study is being carried out in conjunction with the Civil Engineering course at the Integrated Regional University (URI) of Erechim to analyze the possibility of relocation. The destination would be an area purchased for the city’s industrial district, 600 meters away from what is now the city center. There is no deadline for completing the study.
We didn’t have any lives lost, but we understand that the time has come to face the problem because we cannot wait for a third flood. In the last one (flood), we thought it was the biggest in history and this one, now, was even more serious. We bought an area for the industrial district and we are going to present this study to the population, ask for lines of credit from the state and federal governments, and make the situation viable. We need to think long term.
Marcelo Arruda, mayor of Barra do Rio Azul
The change of address would mean increasing the altitude of Barra do Rio Azul by 30 meters in relation to sea level. Currently the city is located at an altitude of 430 meters, which would increase to 460. This distance would also reduce the risk of houses, which are currently around 15 meters from the rivers, being hit by floods.
Another possibility would be to widen the course of the river. However, this would depend on the relocation of some residents and is a palliative measure. The information is from GZH.
Climate tragedy in Rio Grande do Sul
According to the most recent Civil Defense report, the number of deaths confirmed by the heavy rains and floods that hit the state of Rio Grande do Sul has risen to 107. There are 136 people missing, more than 164 thousand homeless and approximately 67 thousand in shelters.
The climate tragedy caused severe impacts in 425 of the 497 municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul, directly affecting almost one and a half million people. Lake Guaíba reached the highest level in history, exceeding 5 meters and 30 centimeters. The floods almost completely paralyzed the water and electricity supply in Porto Alegre and other cities.
Furthermore, hundreds of people remain stranded and rescues are taking place 24 hours a day. One of the points that remains completely flooded is Salgado Filho International Airport, which announced the suspension of all operations until May 30th.
Blocked roads still make it difficult to leave and enter the city. In the South region, Lagoa dos Patos also began to flood some municipalities, such as Rio Grande. In 2023, a series of climate disasters caused real devastation in Rio Grande do Sul. 16 deaths were recorded in June, 54 in September and another 5 in November.
