Bolivia Declares National Emergency as El Niño Intensifies Drought and Flooding

Severe drought has affected 78,000 families and resulted in the loss of over 75,000 cattle, with El Niño expected to peak in late 2026.

Bolivia has declared a nationwide state of emergency to mobilize resources and address the worsening effects of the El Niño climate pattern.

President Rodrigo Paz signed the decree on Saturday, ordering additional rescue-team deployments to regions severely affected by both flooding and drought.

Paz warned that El Niño will bring “very severe impacts in terms of drought and floods,” and stressed that Bolivia requires “the cooperation of all institutions.”

A government report issued this week indicates that drought is currently affecting 78,000 families across six of Bolivia’s nine departments and has caused the loss of more than 75,000 head of cattle.

The country is also vulnerable to flooding. In December 2025, floods in the Santa Cruz region claimed dozens of lives.

Elsewhere in the region, Santiago, Chile, recorded its wettest October on record, while wildfires in Peru killed at least 12 people last month.

El Niño is a global climate phenomenon that recurs approximately every two to seven years and is part of the Earth’s natural weather cycle.

During these events, warming in the Pacific Ocean triggers worldwide shifts in wind, atmospheric pressure, and rainfall patterns, frequently resulting in extreme weather.

The intensity of El Niño varies by region, but the current cycle could become the strongest in recorded history. Although it is expected to peak at the end of 2026, its effects may persist well into 2027.

Scientists project that El Niño could contribute to more than 450,000 deaths worldwide, with low-income nations facing the greatest harm.

The World Meteorological Organization reported in early September that there is a nearly 100 percent probability El Niño will continue through February 2027.

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