Brazil is facing a deepening water crisis, primarily driven by extensive deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. Researchers have linked this deforestation to decreased rainfall and increased temperatures, particularly during the dry season. The Amazon's 'flying rivers'—humid air currents generated by its forests—are crucial for sustaining agriculture and urban water supplies, especially for the Cantareira water system in São Paulo, which was recently operating at only 22% capacity. The weakening of the moisture recycling process due to forest loss is causing erratic rainfall and unstable river flows, threatening agriculture, urban water supplies, and ecological stability.