"My sister is undergoing treatment for cancer and can't go to the city. Health personnel go to her house. I'm not very healthy either, but I still manage to get there," Gomes said.

Five community volunteers recently carried containers of drinking water barefoot from Humaita to Paraizinho that used to be easily transported on canoes across the river.

"Here, we only have the help of these people," said Francisca de Chaga da Silva, one of the water recipients.

Community leader Joao Ferreira explained that the water goes to "the most vulnerable families, who have patients with high blood pressure and diabetes".

Faced with the water shortage, residents treat river water with chlorine to bathe and wash dishes or clothes.

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