Kusukela ngasekupheleni kukaSepthemba, i-Amazon ibhekene nesinye sesomiso esingapheli emlandweni oqoshiwe. Izithombe eziphazamisayo ezivela embukisweni wesifunda sase-Brazilian Amazonas amakhulu amahlengethwa omfula kanye nenqwaba yezinhlanzi ezifile osebeni lomfula ngemva kokuba izinga lokushisa lamanzi ngenyanga edlule lidutshulwe lisuka ku-82 degrees Fahrenheit laya ku-104 degrees Fahrenheit.
Njengoba amazinga okushisa ekhuphuka, abantu boMdabu nemiphakathi yendawo yonkana eCentral naseNtshonalanga ye-Amazon—okuyizifunda zaseBrazil, eColombia, eVenezuela, e-Ecuador, nasePeru—babuka imifula yabo inyamalala ngezinga elingakaze libonwe ngaphambili.
Njengoba isifunda sithembele emigwaqweni yamanzi ukuze kuthuthwe, amazinga emifula aphansi kakhulu aphazamisa ukuthuthwa kwempahla ebalulekile, njengoba imiphakathi eminingi idonsa kanzima ukuthola ukudla namanzi. Iminyango yezempilo yesifunda isixwayise ngokuthi kuya ngokuya kuba nzima ukuletha usizo lwezempilo oluphuthumayo emiphakathini eminingi yase-Amazon.
EBrazil, uhulumeni wesifunda sase-Amazonas umemezele isimo esiphuthumayo njengoba iziphathimandla zibheke lokho osekuyisomiso esibi kakhulu emlandweni wombuso, futhi kulindeleke ukuthi kuthinte ukusatshalaliswa kwamanzi nokudla ku-500,000 abantu ekupheleni kuka-Okthoba. Izingane ezingaba ngu-20,000 zingase zilahlekelwe ukufinyelela ezikoleni.
Izimo ezishisayo nezomile nazo zibangele umlilo wequbula esifundeni sonke. Kusukela ekuqaleni kuka-2023, amahektha angaphezu kwezigidi eziyi-11.8 (18,000 sq mi) yase-Amazon yaseBrazil iye yashiswa umlilo, indawo eyiphinda kabili ngobukhulu iMaryland. EManaus, inhloko-dolobha yase-Amazonas eBrazil kanye nedolobha elinabantu abayizigidi ezimbili, odokotela babike ukwanda kwezinkinga zokuphefumula ngenxa yentuthu eqhubekayo yomlilo, ikakhulukazi phakathi kwezingane nabadala.
Amadolobha akude nawo abe nomthelela. E-Ecuador, lapho ngokuvamile u-90% wamandla enziwa yizikhungo zokuphehla ugesi ngamanzi, isomiso sase-Amazon sibophe uhulumeni ukuthi angenise amandla e-Colombia ukuze kuvinjelwe ukunqamuka kukagesi okusabalele. “Umfula ogeleza usuka e-Amazon, lapho izimboni zethu zikagesi zitholakala khona, wehle kakhulu kangangokuthi ukukhiqizwa kukagesi ngamanzi kwehle kwaba ngu-60% ngezinye izinsuku,” kuchaza uFernando Santos Alvite, uNgqongqoshe Wezamandla wase-Ecuador.
Yize izinkathi zemvula zihluka kulo lonke elase-Amazon, imvula ayilindelwe ezindaweni eziningi ezithintekile kuze kube sekupheleni kukaNovemba noma ekuqaleni kukaDisemba.
I-EL NIÑO, UKUDLALWA KWEZINHLATHI, NOMLILO: IMIHLANGANO EYINGOZI
Ososayensi bayagcizelela ukuthi nakuba isomiso esikhulu sithonywa u-El Niño, ukugawulwa kwamahlathi phakathi neminyaka kuye kwenza isimo saba sibi kakhulu. Ukwengeza, imililo yequbula ehlobene nemikhuba yokusika nokushisa ethandwa abafuyi bezinkomo nabakhiqizi bakabhontshisi wesoya yenza le ndawo ibe ngaphezu komkhawulo wayo.
U-Ane Alencar, uMqondisi Wesayensi e-Institute for Amazonian Environmental Research (IPAM), uyachaza, “Intuthu yomlilo ithinta imvula ngezindlela eziningi. Lapho ugawula amahlathi emvelo, ususa izihlahla ezikhiphela umhwamuko wamanzi emkhathini, ezinciphisa ngokuqondile imvula.”
Ucwaningo luye lwabonisa ukuthi le nqubo ewohlokayo ingase isisondeze “esicongweni” e-Amazon, lapho izinkathi zonyaka ezishisayo nezinde ezingase zibangele ukufa kwezihlahla. Ucwaningo olushicilelwe ngonyaka odlule kuNature Climate Change sibeka ukuthi sisekude namashumi eminyaka ezingxenyeni ezinkulu zehlathi lemvula lase-Amazon libhidlika futhi libe yi-savannah-okubuye kube nomthelela omubi ezinhlelweni zemvelo emhlabeni jikelele.
Lesi somiso asiyona inhlekelele yemvelo engavamile. Kuwuphawu lomhlaba jikelele isimo sezulu izinguquko kanye nomthelela wendawo wokugawulwa kwamahlathi. Ukubhekana nalezi zinselele kudinga isinyathelo esididiyelwe emazingeni endawo, kazwelonke, nasemhlabeni jikelele.
Uhulumeni waseBrazil udale ithimba futhi iPeru isimemezele isimo esiphuthumayo esifundeni, kodwa imiphakathi embalwa kakhulu esifundeni ebone noma yimiphi imizamo ehlanganisiwe yokunciphisa umthelela wesomiso. Ngaleso sikhathi, abahlaziyi bakhathazekile ngokuthi imiphakathi yomdabu eqhelile futhi engayodwa izohlupheka kakhulu kuneminingi.
Abantu bomdabu bami phambili ekushintsheni kwesimo sezulu, naphezu kokuba negalelo elincane ekukhishweni kwesisi esibamba ukushisa. Manje, kunanini ngaphambili, ubumbano lwamazwe ngamazwe nokusekelwa kwemiphakathi ethintekile kubalulekile.
