13 - Madeira River Drainage Basin Case Study

Question 1

How big is the Madeira River Drainage Basin?

Answer 1

• It encompasses 1.3 million km²

Question 2

How big is the basin compared to other Amazonian countries?

Answer 2

• The Basin is larger in size than any Amazonian country except Brazil

Question 3

When did the Madeira river flood occur?

Answer 3

2014 June - July

Question 4

Social impacts of the flood?

Answer 4

• Many communities around Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state, were under water for months
• More than 60 people died in Bolivia as a result of the floods, and in Brazil were deaths from bacterial infections such as leptospirosis.
• 68,000 families were displaced by the flooding

Question 5

Economic impacts of the flood

Answer 5

• The flooding of Rio Negro caused losses of more than $200 million real ($91m; £53m) which is worse even than durimg the record floods of 2012
• The cattle breeders of Beni, who lost 290,000 head of cattle in January and February due to excess water.

Question 6

Environmental impacts of the flood

Answer 6

• In 2014 the river reached emergency levels on 22 May. They spent practically the whole of June above the emergency level

Question 7

Stat

Effect of turning a forest into a grassland?

Answer 7

• Converting a forest into grassland multiplies by a factor of 26.7 the quantity of water that runs into the rivers and increases soil erosion by a factor of 10.8, according to a 1989 study by Philip Fearnside with the National Institute for Research in the Amazon (INPA).