April 30, 2022

12:04

Bruno Pacheco – From Cenarium Magazine

MANAUS – The civil engineer Valderino Pereira da Silva, 73 years old, now retired, is the ingenious man who, even with sight problems and careful walking, is considered the “guy” who has been measuring, for almost 35 years, the level of the majestic and imposing Negro River, which bathes the metropolis of Manaus. The mission is paramount for predicting floods in the capital of Amazonas, which has faced extreme weather events in recent years.

Valderino closely followed, in 2021, the biggest flood of the Rio Negro, when the water mark reached 30.02 meters above sea level. The number is the highest since the measurement of the historical series began in 1902. In all, besides Manaus, almost all the other 61 municipalities in Amazonas usually register floods and damages, according to the state Civil Defense. Last year alone, more than half a million people were affected by floods.

In this 2022, the water levels of the Amazonas are close to reaching the apex and reaching in June, as last year, a surprising number of people affected. The Geological Service of Brazil (SGB-CPRM), which has Valderino’s work as a reference, released on Friday, April 29, the 2nd Flood Alert that estimates that the level of the Rio Negro should reach 29.80 meters this year. The current scenario, however, is better than the previous one, but the State estimate is that about 385,000 people will suffer some consequence with the rising waters.

The forecast from the State Civil Defense is that up to 45 cities will suffer losses with the flooding caused by the rainy season, which has been hitting the Amazon since the first months of the year. Still in relation to the rains, the master in meteorology and science and technology analyst at the Centro Gestor e Operacional do Sistema de Proteção da Amazônia (Censipam), Deydila Bonfin, says that part of the Amazon basins will face above-normal precipitation still in this quarter of May, June and July.

According to the expert, during the release of the 2nd Amazon Flood Alert, held on April 29, by the Geological Survey of Brazil (SGB – CPRM), the forecast of unusual rainfall is for the basins of the Negro and Branco rivers, the main course of the Solimões River and its tributaries on the left bank, as the Içá and Japurá rivers, and the right bank, for example Tefé and Coari.

After comparing the Brazilian, American and European precipitation models, Deydila Bonfin pointed out that the Amazon basins are being affected by the La Niña phenomenon, which consists of the decrease in temperature or cooling of the surface waters of the Pacific Ocean, causing above average rainfall.

The quarter

The quarter of May, June and July is when the most critical levels of flooding reach their highest levels, and when the water stops rising. Engineer Valderino, who, besides measuring the quota of Rio Negro, memorizes millimeter by millimeter the dates and numbers of the floods, explains to CENARIUM MAGAZINE that the prevalence in recording the maximum quota is for the month of June.

“In 118 years, the greatest floods occurred 94 times in month six [June]. Eighteen times, the maximum flood occurred in July and only 6 times occurred in May. The measurement began here at the Port of Manaus, on September 15, 1902, already during the ebb tide,” commented Valderino.

For the experienced measurer, there is no way to know the exact month in which the river can stop rising or not, because these variations exist. Valderino Pereira also states with conviction that no one can say what will happen with the waters, because nature is unpredictable.

“In 2012, for example, when it had the second largest flood, the Rio Negro stopped rising on May 29. Last year, which was the biggest, it stopped on June 16. In other words, the variations are many. You don’t come here and say that the river will stop only in May, but there are forecasts, probabilities”, he reinforced.

The lord of the Rio Negro

Whether as the “Lord of the Rio Negro”, the “Man of the River” or the “Prince of the Rivers”, Valderino Pereira da Silva is a reference and widely known in the Port of Manaus. His detailed work officially started after the death of a former employee, José Cavalcante Paiva, who was also directly responsible for the daily measurements of the river, in the mid-70s.

The civil engineer graduated from the Federal University of Amazonas (Ufam), however, has been working at the Port of Manaus for at least 53 years. His trajectory in the region started in the heavy labor of general services. He collected garbage, did cleaning, helped other workers who needed a helping hand, but he was always passionate about measuring the river, a moment when he could enjoy the landscape and observe the Amazonian nature.

“I have 53 years at the port. I graduated in Edifications from the old Federal Technical School of Amazonas (Etfam), in the 1970s, and then I came to do an internship here at the port, when I started to know how to take the quota. When Paiva was on vacation, I was the one doing the reading. When Paiva retired, I was in charge, and I still am today,” said Valderino.

It is in this daily contact with measurement that Valderino noticed some peculiarities. One of them concerns the change in the behavior of the river in the Tabatinga region, in Alto Solimões, which is reflected in Manaus. That is, if some climatic event is registered in the waters of the city of Tabatinga, the Rio Negro can also feel it in the approximate period of three weeks.

Married, father of three children, Valderino tells that his father also worked in the Port of Manaus, a reason that led him to be frequently in that region. The civil engineer proudly tells that when the Rio Negro is at flood or ebb, teams of journalists or researchers from all over Brazil seek him out for interviews or to gather information.

“I speak with great pride, because it is gratifying. Today I am retired, but I come to the port with great pleasure. Measuring has never been part of my duties, but I have always made it a point to be ahead of this activity,” he concluded.