For the riverine community of Nova Sociedade, deep inside a protected area of Brazil's Amazon rainforest, the Arapiuns River is the only route to the outside world.
The Arapiuns flows into the Tapajos, one of the Amazon River’s major tributaries, across waterways so vast that navigating them can feel like crossing the open sea. Yet during a historic drought in 2024, Nova Sociedade’s residents had to walk as far as 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) in search of water.
