The worst deluge in southern Brazil...Environmental Issues Alert

[Anchor]
Not long ago, a surprise downpour that hit southeastern Spain killed more than 200 people.

Earlier in May, an unprecedented flood occurred in southern Brazil, causing devastating flood damage.

Half a year after the disaster, reporter Kim Soo-han from Brazil went to the scene to see what the situation is like in the affected area.

[Reporter]
In May, Brazil's worst flood disaster in history occurred in the southern state of Hiugrangidusul, Brazil's largest granary.

Roads were destroyed by mud swept away by heavy rain and hundreds of houses collapsed in a devastating manner.

More than 2.2 million citizens were isolated without being able to evacuate due to sudden heavy rains.

The major disaster that killed more than 200 people left an unprecedented scar on the Brazilian people.

a heavy flood that scratched the tranquil daily life

What is the situation there now, half a year after the disaster?

I visited the agricultural land in the Dusul area of Eldorado, which had the most flood damage.

It's the time to sow, but the desolate land is only full of weeds, and cultivation is impossible.

[Christian Sharon / Director of Agriculture, Eldorado Du Sul: Here we are, this is the area most affected by the flood. The flood started from the Jacqui River. The area is estimated to have seen water levels rise by about seven to eight meters. As a result, all crops and all livestock in the region, including cattle, pigs, and poultry, were swept away.

Farming is not available in this area this year.

This is because all nutrients in the soil have been lost due to severe flood damage.

In the face of the collapse of the cultivation environment, residents have no choice but to lose their livelihoods right away.

[Christian Sharon / Director of Agriculture, Eldoradusul: People in the region lost their homes, warehouses, buildings, tractors and all other sources of income due to the flooding. This is like the horrors of war.

It is an area that has been regularly flooded, but last May's heavy flood was an unprecedented disaster.

Brazilian authorities, who were preparing for flooding, were also forced to give up a year's worth of rainfall in two weeks.

Residents who have lost their entire lives in an instant.

Despite the unfathomable sense of loss, I had to return to a house full of signs of disaster to make a living.

"The water has come this far. It came all the way here. All the way here to this point. It was all water down here."

Jose Marino, who has been farming in the area for 33 years, vividly remembers the day when everything was taken away in an instant.

[Jose Marino / Local farmer] We were running a vegetable farm here. I usually harvested about 300 boxes of vegetables a week. We supplied the vegetables to the market in Porto Alegre and sold them to the locals as well. It also provided a school meal program for the community solidarity economy. However, we have not been able to supply the crops for almost four months.]

Jose Marino stands stunned in front of the collapsed and destroyed site of life.

In the midst of slow reconstruction, the suffering of the residents grows day by day.

Experts from all walks of life in Brazil agree that the heavy flood is not just an accidental disaster.

It is closely related to the climate crisis.

[Nelson Gruffisky / Head of the Local Production Union] We need to know that floods are not only a climate problem, but also a problem triggered by human activities. Humans are often contributing to the acceleration of climate change in reckless ways. Excessive use of pesticides, fires, deforestation, and the destruction of bird habitats in protected areas are causing the imbalance. These activities eliminate forests, which results in a breakdown in the balance of the environment.

[Gilberto Azebado / Director of Environmental Services, El Dorado] Governments need to adapt to the new climate environment our planet is facing. Just talking, sitting down, meeting, making agreements, but not keeping them won't make anything better. If you've made an agreement, you have to keep it.]

The Brazilian deluge served as another wake-up call for environmental issues.

Now that the crisis caused by climate change is sounding the alarm all over the world, it is time for each country to join forces to prevent another tragedy.

I'm Kim Soo Han from YTN World in Brazil.