Too much water, and not enough: Brazil’s flooded south struggles to find basic goods

Torres: A mayor in southern Brazil asked residents to ration water Tuesday in a state capital where some 80% of the population is without running water, a week after massive flooding that has left at least 90 people dead and more than 130 missing.

Efforts were continuing to rescue people stranded by the floods in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, as more rains were forecast for the region into next week. The capital, Porto Alegre, has been virtually cut off, with the airport and bus station closed and main roads blocked due to the floodwaters.

Five of the city’s six water treatment facilities aren’t working, and Porto Alegre Mayor Sebastião Melo ordered that water be used exclusively for “essential consumption”. Local shops have also been short on water supplies.

“We are living an unprecedented natural disaster and everyone needs to help,” Melo told journalists. “The shortage is real and it will take some time until it goes back to normal.” “I am getting water trucks to soccer fields and people will have to go there to get their water in bottles. I cannot get them to go home to home,” the mayor added.

The most urgent need is drinking water, but food and personal hygiene products are also in short supply. Other Brazilian states are mobilising trucks with donations bound for Rio Grande do Sul.

Residents in Rio Grande do Sul who are able to flee are doing so, over fears of shortage and the spread of disease. However, it’s difficult for many to leave Porto Alegre with main access roads blocked by floodwaters. The city’s airport and main bus terminal are filled with water and closed for the foreseeable future.