Bolivia in South America is preparing for severe droughts and flooding linked to the El Niño weather phenomenon, DW reports.
President Rodrigo Paz has declared a state of emergency in the country to mobilise resources and strengthen disaster-response measures.
The presidential decree provides for the deployment of additional rescue teams and also calls for coordinated action between national and regional authorities, the armed forces and the police.
According to a report by the Bolivian government, the drought has affected at least 78,000 families in seven of Bolivia’s nine departments. The extreme weather has led to the deaths of more than 75,000 head of cattle. In addition, the authorities warned of the likelihood of flooding, flash floods and landslides as the rainy season begins.
What Is El Niño
El Niño is a periodic warming of sea-surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean that disrupts global weather patterns, often bringing drought to some regions and heavy rain to others.
The current El Niño developed in June and has since intensified rapidly. It is now on track to become exceptionally strong — the phenomenon is sometimes referred to as a “super El Niño”.
Researchers have estimated that the exceptionally high temperatures associated with the current El Niño could cause around 451,000 additional deaths worldwide from June 2026 to February 2027.
The UN has described the current El Niño, which is expected to peak in December, as “beyond capacity”. Its impact could last for years, and the UN is urging Pacific countries to prepare for the worst.
In the past month alone, El Niño-related shifts in weather patterns have been linked to:
- forest and ground fires in Indonesia;
- an unusually powerful Typhoon Champi in Taiwan;
- Hurricane Isaias on the US Gulf Coast;
- water and electricity shortages in India after a weak monsoon.