Smoke leads Parintins and Itacoatiara to suspend classes in Amazonas
Air quality was rated terrible in Parintins; 47 municipalities in the state were in a state of emergency because of the drought.
Translated from the Portuguese original by the Panorama newsroom. Read in Portuguese
Summary written by the Panorama newsroom from the sources listed below. Facts are attributed to the original publications.
Parintins and Itacoatiara, in the interior of Amazonas, suspended in-person classes in public schools on Tuesday (3) because of air pollution, g1 reported. The measure seeks to protect students and teachers from health risks.
According to the Electronic Environmental Surveillance System (Selva) of the Amazonas State University, Parintins recorded at around 7 a.m. a concentration of 176.9 micrograms of particles per cubic meter, a level rated "terrible." Itacoatiara reached 53.7, considered "poor." The system rates air as good up to 25 µg/m³.
In Parintins, teams were to assess the air through the morning to decide whether classes would resume in the afternoon.
The situation adds to the drought: as of Sunday (1st), 47 municipalities in Amazonas were in a state of emergency. The state government banned the use of fire for 120 days. In another report, g1 AM said the smoke left air quality very poor or terrible in nine municipalities in the interior.