Bolivia declares state of emergency over El Nino weather pattern

Drought is affecting 78,000 families, and has led to the loss of more than 75,000 cattle, as El Nino is due to peak in late 2026.

A resident walks near the Salar de Uyuni, a salt lake in Bolivia, on January 11, 2014 [Jean-Paul Pelissier/Reuters]

Bolivia has declared a nationwide state of emergency to free up resources to deal with the effects of the El Nino weather phenomenon.

Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz signed the decree on Saturday, which also called for further deployments of rescue teams in areas of the country hard hit by flooding and drought.

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El Nino will have “very severe impacts in terms of drought and floods”, Paz said, adding that Bolivia needs “the cooperation of all institutions”.

Drought is now affecting 78,000 families in six of Bolivia’s nine departments and has led to the loss of more than 75,000 cattle, according to a government report this week.

Bolivia is also prone to flooding. In December 2025, floods in the Santa Cruz region killed dozens of people.

Neighbouring Chile’s capital, Santiago, recorded the rainiest October ever, while wildfires in Peru killed at least 12 people last month.

Bolivia’s President Rodrigo Paz says declaring a state of emergency will allow authorities to more quickly deploy resources where they are needed [File: Claudia Morales/Reuters]

El Nino, a global climate phenomenon that occurs roughly every two to seven years, is part of the planet’s natural weather cycle.

During this climate event, warming in the Pacific Ocean brings worldwide changes in winds, pressure, and rainfall patterns, often causing extreme weather.

El Nino’s intensity varies, and its impact changes based on geographic location, but this cycle could be the strongest in recorded history . It is due to peak at the end of 2026, but its impacts could continue well into 2027.

Scientists predict El Nino could cause more than 450,000 deaths globally , with the poorest countries worst impacted.

In early September, the World Meteorological Organization reported a nearly 100 percent likelihood that El Nino will continue through February 2027.

干旱影响了 78,000 个家庭，并导致超过 75,000 头牛死亡，而厄尔尼诺现象预计将在 2026 年底达到顶峰。

2014年1月11日，一名居民在玻利维亚的乌尤尼盐湖附近散步。[Jean-Paul Pelissier/路透社]

玻利维亚宣布全国进入紧急状态，以腾出资源应对厄尔尼诺现象的影响。

玻利维亚总统罗德里戈·帕斯于周六签署了这项法令，该法令还要求向该国受洪水和干旱严重影响的地区进一步部署救援队。

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阿根廷农民因厄尔尼诺现象加剧而乘船撤离牛群（共3条，此为第3条）

帕斯表示，厄尔尼诺现象将“在干旱和洪水方面造成非常严重的影响”，并补充说，玻利维亚需要“所有机构的合作”。

据本周一份政府报告显示，干旱目前已影响玻利维亚九个省中的六个省的 78,000 个家庭，并导致超过 75,000 头牛死亡。

玻利维亚也容易发生洪水。2025年12月，圣克鲁斯地区的洪水造成数十人死亡。

与智利首都圣地亚哥相邻的10月份降雨量创历史新高，而秘鲁的野火上个月造成至少12人死亡。

玻利维亚总统罗德里戈·帕斯表示，宣布进入紧急状态将使当局能够更快地将资源部署到需要的地方。[图片：克劳迪娅·莫拉莱斯/路透社]

厄尔尼诺现象是一种全球性气候现象，大约每两到七年发生一次，是地球自然天气周期的一部分。

在此次气候事件中，太平洋变暖导致全球风、气压和降雨模式发生变化，经常引发极端天气。

厄尔尼诺现象的强度会随地理位置而变化，其影响也会因地域而异，但此次厄尔尼诺周期可能是史上最强的一次。预计此次厄尔尼诺现象将于2026年底达到峰值，但其影响可能会持续到2027年。

科学家预测厄尔尼诺现象可能导致全球超过 45 万人死亡，其中最贫困的国家受影响最大。

9月初，世界气象组织报告称，厄尔尼诺现象持续到2027年2月的可能性接近100%。