Clouds of smoke harm the health of residents in the 15 municipalities of Roraima National newspaper

In northern Brazil, smoke clouds are affecting the health of residents in the 15 municipalities of Roraima.

Boa Vista is covered in a thick layer of smoke. The streets and roads were covered in smoke. The smoke started in February, but the problem has gotten worse.

“It was terrible, because I have a respiratory problem, and since yesterday, I haven't been able to breathe properly. Today it's much worse,” says educational analyst Adelina Lima.

Clouds of smoke make days cloudy, and it's hard to see the sun. In some moments, day turns into night. Images of the Boa Vista waterfront were recorded in the early afternoon.

In shopping malls, sales declined.

“People don't leave their homes when there is a lot of smoke in the environment. It causes a lot of damage,” says trader Joao Batista.

Roraima experiences a combination of Severe dehydration – Exacerbated by the El Niño phenomenon – and Illegal fires. Most are on rural properties. Since the beginning of 2024, the state has recorded nearly 4,000 fires.

“Our serious problem is to contain these forest fires, to contain these fires in agricultural lands, because this is very important for our physical health,” says Reynaldo Ambrosio, a researcher at the National Institute for Amazon Research.

monitoring National Amazon Research Institute He explains that the air quality in Boa Vista is taken into account awesomewith a great risk to health.

“I wake up at 4 a.m. to take people to the medical center,” says Sanderli Silva, a motorcycle taxi driver. “Everything is white, white, white. Even breathing is difficult, breathing is heavier. When night falls, you can’t sleep.”

The Boa Vista City Council announced some measures to mitigate the consequences of smoke on residents' health. In schools, external activities have been suspended, and even meals, for example, are eaten inside the classroom. City Hall also recommended mask use.

“We only leave when we need to, because we can't stay, we have to solve our problems,” says retiree Joao Batista. “But there is a lot of smoke.”