Civil Defense issues warning of risk of fires in rural areas in the interior of São Paulo

High temperatures and no rain. This is the weather forecast for the State of São Paulo in the coming days, which increases the risk of fires in rural areas. The most affected regions are Presidente Prudente, Assis, Dracena, Araçatuba, Jales, São José do Rio Preto, Barretos and Ribeirão Preto, according to the alert from the state Civil Defense Emergency Management Center (CGE).

The forecast is that in the hottest period of the day temperatures can reach 36°C. Furthermore, the Relative Air Humidity must reach critical levels, remaining below 20% in the interior of the state.

Aware of this scenario, the Government of the State of São Paulo launched "São Paulo Semper Alerta – State Drought Resilience Plan". The São Paulo Department of Agriculture and Supply, alongside other departments, is part of the plan's Steering Committee, which aims to implement coordinated actions to prevent, mitigate and respond to the impacts of prolonged drought. Among the objectives of São Paulo Semper Alerta are supporting agricultural activities in regions affected by drought and promoting the continuous supply of drinking water to the population.

Water scarcity has been a major concern for the Government of SP and to guarantee the productivity of São Paulo's crops amid extreme weather conditions, the State Sustainable Irrigation Plan – Irriga+SP was launched. "The effects of climate change are increasingly strong. But those who have their crops irrigated have their production guaranteed", highlights the Secretary of Agriculture and Supply of the State of São Paulo, Guilherme Piai. One of the Plan's objectives will be to sustainably expand the State's irrigated areas, which currently comprise only 6% of São Paulo's productive area. The goal is to reach 15% by 2030.

Furthermore, SAA, through the AgroSP+Seguro Program, made more than 100 firefighting kits available to city halls, with rigid tanks and motor pumps, in addition to promoting the training of municipal firefighting brigades to use this equipment. , and its registration with the Emergency Response Service of the Fire Department, through the Município Agro Program.

According to the Geostatistical Panel on Forest Fires in Conservation Units and Protected Areas, from the Secretariat for the Environment, Infrastructure and Logistics (Semil), in 2023 more than 90% of the 158 fires in protected areas were caused by human actions that could have been avoided. Data from the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) show that in the period from January 01 to July 31, 2024, 1.798 outbreaks were detected by the Aqua_M-T reference satellite, a number 136% higher than the same period in 2023. The models Climate conditions call for attention to the months of August and September, when drought conditions and high temperatures will be more severe.

For Agriculture Secretary Guilherme Piai, the support of rural producers across the State of São Paulo in preventing fires is essential. “I count on rural men and women to adopt prevention measures, such as installing firebreaks on the boundaries of rural properties and around forested areas and not cleaning their areas with fire”, he warns.