Danger Dust

SAO PAULO (AP) — A major river in the Brazilian metropolis of Sao Paulo is suddenly emerald green and clear skies this week turned from blue to grey. In the late afternoon, the sun’s rays filtering through the smoky haze exhibit the color of deep orange.

Brazil is enduring its worst drought since nationwide measurements began over seven decades ago, with 59% of the country under stress — an area roughly half the size of the U.S. Major Amazon basin rivers are registering historic lows. Uncontrolled, manmade wildfires — in the Amazon rainforest and other biomes across the country — have ravaged protected areas and spread smoke over a vast expanse, worsening air quality nationwide.

Residents of South America’s most populous city are complaining about both the smoke throughout the city and a putrid smell near the river.

For two consecutive days, smoke caused Sao Paulo, a metropolitan area of 21 million people, to breathe the second-most polluted air in the world, according to data gathered by IQAir, a Swiss air technology company. On Tuesday afternoon, the city’s air pollution was second only to that of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.