The drought is affecting 78,000 families and has led to the loss of more than 75,000 cattle, with the El Niño phenomenon expected to peak at the end of 2026.
Published on November 1, 2026
Bolivia has declared a nationwide state of emergency to free up resources to deal with the effects of the El Niño weather phenomenon.
Bolivia’s President Rodrigo Paz signed the decree on Saturday that also calls for more deployments of relief teams to areas of the country hit hard by floods and drought.
Recommended Stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
El Nino will have “very serious impacts in terms of drought and floods,” Paz said, adding that Bolivia needs “the cooperation of all institutions.”
The drought now affects 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 released this week.
Bolivia is also prone to flooding. In December 2025, floods in the Santa Cruz region caused dozens of deaths.
Neighboring Chilean capital Santiago recorded the wettest October on record, while wildfires in Peru killed at least 12 people last month.
El Nino, a global weather phenomenon that occurs approximately every two to seven years, is part of the planet’s natural climate cycle.
During this climate event, warming of the Pacific Ocean leads to global-scale changes in winds, pressure, and precipitation, often causing extreme weather.
El Nino’s intensity varies and its impact changes depending on geographic location, but this cycle could be the strongest in recorded history. It is expected to peak at the end of 2026, but its impacts could continue until 2027.
Scientists predict that El Nino could cause more than 450,000 deaths worldwide, with poorer countries hardest hit.
In early September, the World Meteorological Organization reported that it was almost 100% likely that El Nino would continue until February 2027.
Gn world
