Brazil Declares State of Emergency in Amazon
9/7/99
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Title: Brazil Declares State of Emergency in Amazon
Source: Xinhua
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: September 7, 1999
RIO DE JANIERO (Sept. 7) XINHUA - Brazil's Environment Ministry
Tuesday declared a state of alert in the Amazon and prohibited the
act of land clearing by the use of fire, in a measure taken to
prevent forest fires.
The authorities are afraid that because of the drought and the
absence of rain in the Amazon, any fire may grow to enormous
proportions, as happened last year in the province of Roraima.
Fire-fighters have combated around 2,000 forest fires in 15 of the 27
states.
The state of emergency ordered by the civil authorities and military
forces, as well as those in charge of the environment, assures that
the aforementioned services are ready to act in the case of any
forest fire in the Amazon region.