"This Could Turn Into a Real Disaster" Could It Hit the Whole World? Bolivia Declares State of 'High Alert' Amid Extreme Weather Fears
Drought affects more than 78,000 households in 6 departments... More than 75,000 livestock die
President Paz: "Minimize damage from droughts and floods"
UN warning: El Nino could cause widespread damage across Latin America, Africa, Asia and beyond
Bolivia has declared a state of national emergency as it prepares for severe droughts and floods caused by El Niño.
On November 1 local time, Bolivian newspaper El Deber and AFP reported that Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz had declared a state of national emergency to respond to El Niño.
El Niño is a phenomenon in which sea surface temperatures near the equator rise above average, causing extreme weather around the world, including droughts and floods. It usually occurs every two to seven years and lasts for around nine to 12 months.
President Paz said, "In the past, we waited until environmental disasters struck, but this year we have decided to commit financial and human resources, drawing on international cooperation and national efforts."
He said El Niño would cause severe damage through droughts and floods, stressing the need for cooperation among all institutions, state governments, municipalities, and individual citizens. He added, "We will do everything we can to minimize the damage from the droughts already affecting several regions and the floods that will follow."
According to a Bolivian government report, droughts have affected more than 78,000 households across six of the country's nine departments. More than 75,000 livestock have also died.
Following the declaration of a state of national emergency, the Bolivian government plans to deploy additional rescue personnel to the hardest-hit areas and commit financial and human resources.
The United Nations recently warned that El Niño is intensifying to an "unprecedented" level and could cause widespread damage across Latin America, as well as eastern and southern Africa, Asia, and the Pacific region.
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In Peru, which shares a border with Bolivia, rising temperatures and wildfires have killed at least 12 people. The effects of extreme weather linked to El Niño are being seen in many places: in Santiago, Chile's capital, for example, October rainfall reached a record high.
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