FEATURE-In drought-hit Amazon, road paving fears grow as rivers run dry

tech.hindustantimes.com:

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Frequent droughts cause havoc for Amazon river transport

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Brazilian government urged to pave roads in response

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Deforestation expected to rise along with highway works

By Andre Cabette Fabio

REALIDADE, Brazil, - B ehind a narrow border of trees, a crop duster sprays clouds of agrochemicals onto the vast soy fields stretching out on both sides of the BR-319 highway that cuts deep into Brazil's Amazon rainforest.

As the road's asphalt wears thin further north, timber trucks zig-zag to avoid the many potholes along the key transport artery, which spans 885 km and has come to symbolize the tension between infrastructure projects and environmental protection in the world's largest rainforest.

Linking Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state, and Porto Velho, Rondonia's state capital, the road has lost most of its paving since it was built in the 1970s - meaning many sections are reduced to a muddy quagmire during the six-month wet season.

Now, as a series of droughts linked to climate change complicate river transport in the region, President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva's government has vowed to repave the BR-319.

Amazon researchers fear repairing the road could trigger a surge in deforestation in Amazonas state, home to most of Brazil's best-preserved rainforest, potentially threatening Lula's progress on stemming forest loss to fight climate change.

But calls for rebuilding the road are growing louder.

During a record drought last year, farmers and residents had to rely on the BR-319 as the normally busy Amazon waterways sank to their lowest levels, making it almost impossible for shipping to navigate them.

Back in 2013, maintenance work resumed on the dirt portion of the road that runs through the district of Realidade, in Humaita municipality, dramatically reducing the time it takes to reach the main city, and beyond. Paving work has not yet begun.

Humaita mayor Dedei Lobo is happy - he expects an even harsher drought from May this year, so the road