Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz signed an emergency decree on Saturday to unlock funding and mobilize rescue crews as the El Niño weather pattern drives both extreme drought and flooding across the country.
In a televised address on October 31, Paz warned that the phenomenon would bring "very severe impacts" and called for cooperation from all institutions. The order directs additional rescue teams to the hardest-hit zones and authorizes emergency procurement of supplies.
A government report this week said drought has hit 78,000 families across six of the nation's nine departments and killed more than 75,000 cattle, CNA reported. The same report noted that flooding has also displaced communities in low-lying areas, creating a dual crisis for the landlocked Andean nation.
The United Nations said the current El Niño could reach "unprecedented" strength, threatening regions across Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, according to The Straits Times. The UN weather agency warned that the event is likely to persist into early 2027, amplifying risks to agriculture, water supplies and public health.
Neighbouring nations are also suffering. Peru faces rising temperatures and wildfires that have killed at least 12 people, while Chile recorded its wettest October on record in Santiago, Arab News reported. Both countries have issued weather alerts and deployed emergency personnel to affected regions.