Quixplained: why Brazil's Amazon faces severe drought

Just months after enduring floods that destroyed crops and submerged entire communities, thousands of families in the Brazilian Amazon are now dealing with severe drought.

The low level of the Amazon river, at the center of the largest drainage system in the world, has put dozens of municipalities under alert.

The dry season, known locally as the "Amazonian summer," usually lasts from June to December.

The fast-decreasing river water level is due to lower-than-expected rainfall during August and September, according to Luna Gripp, a researcher who monitors the western Amazon's river levels for the Brazilian Geological Survey.

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As most of Amazonas state is not connected by roads, the main concern is the shortage of food, fuel and other goods normally transported through waterways.