Iguazu Falls records a flow 10 times higher than normal

AFP, Posted on Friday, October 14, 2022 at 1:09 pm.

Iguazu Falls, on the border between Brazil and Argentina, recorded a water flow nearly ten times higher than normal on Wednesday, leading to the closure of one of the main tourist gateways on the Brazilian side.

The flow of water reached 14.5 million liters per second on Wednesday evening following heavy rains that hit Paraná state in southern Brazil, coordinator Wemerson Augusto of the nature park told AFP communications. Normally, the flow rate is 1.5 million liters per second, he said.

The unusual flow forced the closure of the tourist trail that leads to the Gorge du Diable, a spectacular waterfall that is the site’s main attraction. The pavement was partially waterlogged on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, land bridges on the Argentine side were already closed due to the increased flow of the Iguazu River.

The event was “unusual” for October, Mr. Augusto said.

Paraná’s civil defense said on Wednesday that 24 municipalities had been affected by “extreme events”, flooding that left more than 1,200 people homeless and damaged nearly 400 homes.

Iguazu Falls (known as Iguazu on the Brazilian side) gushed on Wednesday, the first since June 2014, with 47 million liters of water flowing per second.

In June 2022, the flow reached 10 million litres, but there was no need to restrict access into the park.