Brazil: Giant Sinkholes Swallow Parts of Amazon City

story

FEB 22

Above: Aerial view of erosions in Buriticupu, Maranhão state, Brazil. Image copyright: Nelson Almeida/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images

story last updated FEB 22

The Spin

Narrative A

The situation represents a preventable disaster caused by decades of inadequate urban planning and environmental mismanagement. Deforestation and poorly regulated development create perfect conditions for catastrophic erosion that threatens entire communities.

The Environmentalist View Research Gate

Narrative B

The crisis primarily stems from natural geological processes typical of the region's sandy soil composition. Sinkholes are inevitable occurrences exacerbated by unusually heavy rainfall patterns that make the ground increasingly unstable and susceptible to erosion.

Reuters BBC News