Amid drought and slews of garbage, the Paraguay River is drying up

The key waterway, used for most of Paraguayan exports, has hit its lowest level in over 50 years, thanks to prolonged droughts

paraguay river pollution drought — Asunción Bay. Photo: Bruno Valenzano/Shutterstock

Oct 05, 2020 9:28 3 min read (Updated: May 27, 2021 10:18)

The 2,695-kilometer long Paraguay River is one of the biggest and most important rivers in all of South America. Winding through four countries, it is a key part of regional economies and tourism in Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina.

But this historic river is beginning to dry up.

Thanks to a prolonged drought that has aggravated the wave of forest fires throughout the Pantanal wetlands region, the Paraguay River has hit its lowest water level since 1969.

In response, the Paraguayan government declared a state of “hydrological emergency,” calling on the country’s state-owned sanitation company to put together a task force to avoid water and energy shortages. The low levels of the river could cut output of hydroelectric dams in the region by half.

An investigation into the drying river showed that drought is not the only factor to blame:...