Buriticupu: The town of Buriticupu, located in the northeastern region of the Brazilian Amazon, is facing a worsening crisis as massive sinkholes continue to expand, endangering hundreds of residents. In response to the escalating situation, the municipal government has declared a state of emergency.
Approximately 1,200 people out of the town’s 55,000 population are at risk of losing their homes as the ground beneath them gives way. Several buildings have already been destroyed, with the sinkholes growing deeper and wider at an alarming rate.
“In the space of the last few months, the dimensions have expanded exponentially, approaching substantially closer to the residences,” the city government stated in an emergency decree earlier this month.
The crisis in Buriticupu has been developing over the past three decades, exacerbated by natural and human factors. The region’s sandy soil, already prone to erosion, has been further destabilized by heavy rainfall, deforestation, and poorly planned urban development. Known locally as voçoroca—a term of indigenous origin meaning “to tear the earth”—these large-scale soil erosions have become more frequent and severe.
Also Read | Congo Opposition Leader Kabund Released After Two Years in Prison
Marcelino Farias, a geographer and professor at the Federal University of Maranhão, warned that periods of intense rainfall, such as the current season, only accelerate the erosion process.
Longtime residents remain on edge as the situation deteriorates. “There’s this danger right in front of us, and nobody knows where this hole has been opening up underneath,” said 65-year-old Antonia dos Anjos, who has lived in Buriticupu for 22 years.
Also Read | From Schoolyard to Battlefield: A Russian Town Remembers Its Fallen
The town’s authorities acknowledge the challenge but admit they lack the resources to address the crisis effectively. “These problems range from the erosion processes to the removal of people who are in the risk area,” said Lucas Conceição, Buriticupu’s secretary of public works and an engineer.
As the sinkholes continue to grow, residents of Buriticupu are left in uncertainty, with many fearing that their homes could be next to vanish into the earth.
