River levels put cities on alert in the Baixada Fluminense region.
Belford Roxo and Duque de Caxias have reached the second most concerning level on a four-level scale from the State Environmental Institute (Inea); rain is forecast for all regions of the state this Tuesday.
Vitor Abdala
Reporter from Agência Brasil
Rio de Janeiro The municipalities of Belford Roxo and Duque de Caxias, in the Baixada Fluminense region, are on alert due to the risk of the Capivari River overflowing. The alert level is the second most concerning on a four-level scale set by the State Environmental Institute (Inea), the agency that monitors river levels in the state.
A municipality goes on alert when there is a record of heavy rain, and the river level rises above normal. The two municipalities are also on alert – the third most concerning level – due to the rising levels of four other rivers that run through the cities: Saracuruna and Inhomirim (in Caxias), Botas (in Belford Roxo), and Iguaçu and Sarapuí (which run through both).
Eight more municipalities in Baixada Fluminense and the mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro are also on alert. According to the National Institute of Meteorology, the forecast for today (26) is that it will rain in all regions of the state of Rio de Janeiro.