Iguaçu Waterfalls Bridge Closed After Flow Rises Six Times

The Iguazu Falls walkway in Foz do Iguaçu, west of the Paraná, was temporarily blocked on Sunday morning after the flow of the Rio Iguaçu reached approximately 8.8 million liters of water per second. The volume is almost six times higher than the historical average of 1.5 million liters per second, and the suspension of access was adopted as a preventive measure to ensure the safety of visitors.

The interdiction of the catwalk began around 8 am and, so far, there is no forecast for the reopening. According to the information released on the operation of the Iguazu National Park, access may be resumed when the level and flow of the river return to conditions considered safe.

Flow rate reaches 8.8 million liters per second

The flow rate represents the amount of water that passes through a certain point of the river during a time interval. In the Iguassu Falls, the volume recorded on Sunday reached approximately 8.8 million liters per second.

The historical average at the site is approximately 1.5 million liters per second. The volume observed on Sunday was nearly six times higher than normal.

The increase occurs amid the rains recorded in the Rio Iguaçu basin. The weather forecast for the Paraná already indicated rain during the weekend, with conditions of instability in different regions of the state.

Other attractions are also prohibited.

In addition to the Iguaçu Falls walkway, the Bananas and Poço Preto paths also had access temporarily suspended.

The decision was taken due to the risk of flood points caused by the elevation of the level of Rio Iguaçu.

Despite the restrictions, the visit to the Iguazu National Park was not completely interrupted.

The Waterfall Trail remains open

The Waterfall Trail and the main viewpoints remain available to visitors. In this way, tourists can still observe the waterfalls, even without access to the walkway located nearest to the Falls.

Teams responsible for the tourist visitation and management of the Iguaçu National Park follow the behavior of the river and the safety conditions.

The guidance for those who intend to visit the Falls this Sunday is to check the updates on the functioning of the attractions before starting the tour.

There is, so far, no set time for the release of the Iguazu Falls walkway. The reopening will depend on the reduction of the flow and the evaluation of the safety conditions on site.