La Paz, November 01, 2026 : Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz has declared a state of emergency to mobilise resources and strengthen the country's response to the effects of the El Niño climate phenomenon, which has brought both flooding and drought to different regions.
In a televised address, President Paz said the decree would also allow additional rescue teams to be deployed to the hardest-hit areas. He stressed the need for coordination among government institutions to limit the impact of the climate-related conditions.
A government report released this week showed that drought has affected around 78,000 families across six of Bolivia's nine departments, while more than 75,000 livestock have been lost.
El Niño is a climate phenomenon that alters atmospheric circulation and influences weather patterns worldwide. It generally suppresses hurricane activity in the Atlantic while increasing activity in the Pacific.
The United Nations warned this week that the current El Niño event could reach exceptional strength, potentially bringing widespread consequences across Latin America, eastern and southern Africa, Asia and the Pacific.
Elsewhere in the region, neighbouring Peru has experienced rising temperatures and wildfires that have claimed at least 12 lives. Meanwhile, Chile's capital, Santiago, recorded its wettest October on record.
Source: QNA
