Bolivia declares state of emergency over El Nino weather pattern

Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz has declared a national state of emergency in response to the intensifying El Nino weather phenomenon, which threatens severe droughts and flooding across the country. Paz emphasized that the impacts of this event will be "very severe" and urged all institutions to cooperate in the disaster response. The decree grants the deployment of additional rescue teams and mandates coordination between national and regional authorities, the armed forces, and police.

Authorities have warned of potential floods, flash floods, and landslides as the rainy season commences. El Nino, a periodic warming of sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific, disrupts global weather patterns, often causing drought in some regions and heavy rainfall in others. The current El Nino, which began in June, has rapidly strengthened and is on track to become an exceptionally strong, or "super," El Nino.

Researchers estimate that the unusually high temperatures associated with the current El Nino could lead to around 451,000 excess deaths worldwide between June 2026 and February 2027. The United Nations has described the current El Nino as "heading off the charts" and expects its impact to persist for years. The UN has urged nations in the Pacific to prepare for the worst, given the prolonged effects of this event.

In the past month alone, changing weather patterns linked to El Nino have been connected to severe weather events such as droughts and floods in various regions.