“Buriticupu: The Brazilian City at Risk of Being Swallowed by the Earth Due to Deforestation”

MARANHO – A city with about 73,000 inhabitants in Brazil in danger of being ‘swallowed by the earth’ as ​​the area struggles with environmental problems.

Buriticupu, which is located in northeastern Brazil, faces the problem of soil erosion due to the logging work of forest trees.

A large crater 70 meters deep has formed in the neighborhood, and landslides are so frequent that they can engulf entire cities in the near future.

So far, there are 26 large craters measuring more than 298 meters that were formed over several years due to deforestation around the city.

The crater cleaning process only causes the soil structure to become weaker so that the soil has difficulty absorbing water.

This year, the heavy rains have exacerbated the problem and raised concerns among residents.

In addition, the lack of planning work by local authorities caused problems in the city to worsen.

Local official Joao Carlos informed that the situation in the city was ‘very difficult’ as it involved paying large compensation to residents if they had to move elsewhere.

Within 10 years, seven people were reported to have died as a result of being crushed by soil erosion, besides that more than 50 houses were swallowed up by the earth.

(wbs)