<p>The waterway's depth at Manaus, the main city in the Amazon region, was just 19.34 metres -- well below its average of 23.25 metres, the country's Geological Service told AFP.<br />The last time the river was at such a low level was in 1963.<br /><br />Scientists say it appears Brazil is headed for its worst drought since that year. Final data to be collected up to October were expected to confirm that.<br /><br />The withering of the Amazon has produced unusual scenes of children playing football in the dried-up riverbed of a tributary, the Quarenta, that crosses Manaus.<br /><br />Worse, seven remote towns upstream that rely on water traffic as their main link to civilisation have been cut off as their own tributary has all but disappeared.<br /><br />"There are towns inaccessible by foot, and we need helicopters," the mayor of one of the towns told the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper.<br /><br />Some residents who lived through the 1963 drought said they were not so hard up this time, as they have mineral water and water trucks available.<br /><br />"The drought is affecting river traffic, but today we can take a plane if we have to," said resident Joao Texeira, 74.</p>
<p>The waterway's depth at Manaus, the main city in the Amazon region, was just 19.34 metres -- well below its average of 23.25 metres, the country's Geological Service told AFP.<br />The last time the river was at such a low level was in 1963.<br /><br />Scientists say it appears Brazil is headed for its worst drought since that year. Final data to be collected up to October were expected to confirm that.<br /><br />The withering of the Amazon has produced unusual scenes of children playing football in the dried-up riverbed of a tributary, the Quarenta, that crosses Manaus.<br /><br />Worse, seven remote towns upstream that rely on water traffic as their main link to civilisation have been cut off as their own tributary has all but disappeared.<br /><br />"There are towns inaccessible by foot, and we need helicopters," the mayor of one of the towns told the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper.<br /><br />Some residents who lived through the 1963 drought said they were not so hard up this time, as they have mineral water and water trucks available.<br /><br />"The drought is affecting river traffic, but today we can take a plane if we have to," said resident Joao Texeira, 74.</p>