Bolivia declares emergency as El Nino intensifies, threatens severe weather
Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz has declared a national state of emergency to mobilize resources and strengthen disaster response as the country braces for severe droughts and flooding linked to the El Nino weather phenomenon.
The president's decree allows the deployment of additional rescue teams and calls for coordination between national and regional authorities, the armed forces and police.
This will be a phenomenon that will have very severe impacts in terms of drought and floods, and we need the cooperation of all institutions.
A Bolivian government report details the drought's impact, which has affected at least 78,000 families across seven of Bolivia's nine departments and led to the loss of more than 75,000 cattle.
Global impact
The current El Nino developed in June and has strengthened rapidly, now on course to become an exceptionally strong 'super' El Nino. Researchers have estimated that the unusually high temperatures linked to the current El Nino could cause around 451,000 excess deaths worldwide from June 2026 to February 2027.
The United Nations has described the current El Nino, which is expected to peak in December, as 'heading off the charts'. Its impact could last years, with the UN urging nations in the Pacific to prepare for the worst.
Weather events
Authorities have also warned of potential floods, flash floods, and landslides as the rainy season begins. Just in the past month, changing weather patterns associated with El Nino have been linked to forest and land wildfires in Indonesia, Supercharged Typhoon Champi in Taiwan, Hurricane Isaias in the US Gulf Coast, and water and power shortages in India after a weak monsoon.
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