Bolivia Declares National Emergency as El Niño Hits 80,000 Families
(MENAFN) Bolivia has declared a national state of emergency to confront El Niño, as drought tightens its grip on several regions and officials brace for possible flooding in the months ahead.
President Rodrigo Paz signed the decree Saturday, saying it is designed to deal with the ongoing drought while preparing the country for flood risks.
The measure is intended to mobilize financial and human resources, sharpen coordination among government agencies and draw on international cooperation, Paz said. The goal, he added, is to support affected families and soften the blow that climate-related disasters deal to people’s lives and economic activity.
Paz said drought has already hit 63 communities across Bolivia. The livestock sector is also under strain, with animal feed in short supply.
The scale of the damage is considerable. The Vice Ministry of Civil Defense reported Wednesday that water shortages have affected nearly 80,000 families in six of the country’s nine departments. Drought has also killed more than 75,000 head of livestock, according to the government body.
El Niño is a climate phenomenon marked by unusually warm surface waters in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. It often triggers abnormal weather patterns in many parts of the world.
President Rodrigo Paz signed the decree Saturday, saying it is designed to deal with the ongoing drought while preparing the country for flood risks.
The measure is intended to mobilize financial and human resources, sharpen coordination among government agencies and draw on international cooperation, Paz said. The goal, he added, is to support affected families and soften the blow that climate-related disasters deal to people’s lives and economic activity.
Paz said drought has already hit 63 communities across Bolivia. The livestock sector is also under strain, with animal feed in short supply.
The scale of the damage is considerable. The Vice Ministry of Civil Defense reported Wednesday that water shortages have affected nearly 80,000 families in six of the country’s nine departments. Drought has also killed more than 75,000 head of livestock, according to the government body.
El Niño is a climate phenomenon marked by unusually warm surface waters in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. It often triggers abnormal weather patterns in many parts of the world.
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