Brazilian Town's Growing Sinkholes Endanger Over 1,200 Residents

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The government declares a state of emergency as giant sinkholes are threatening to swallow parts of Buriticupu, a town of 55,000 people in the northeastern Brazilian Amazon.

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About 1,200 residents now face potential displacement as several buildings have already been destroyed, and entire streets have disappeared into the widening chasms.

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The crisis didn't happen overnight. Residents have watched these sinkholes, locally known as "voçoroca", develop over the past 30 years.

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In just the last decade, a single sinkhole has consumed three streets and more than 50 houses and some sinkholes have merged to form ravines up to 20 meters deep.

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Marcelino Farias, a geographer and professor at the Federal University of Maranhao, explains that heavy rainfall accelerates the problem.

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The situation is made worse by the region's sandy soil prone to erosion, poor urban planning, inadequate drainage systems, and ongoing deforestation.

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Most neighborhoods in Buriticupu are built on inclines and slopes, making them vulnerable to erosion and during rains, water flows through muddy gullies, rapidly washing away soil.

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The emergency decree identified 16 sectors as high-risk areas for sinkholes and experts fear the situation will continue to deteriorate as climate and rainfall patterns shift.

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