Bolivia Declares National Emergency Over El Niño Drought and Flood Risks

Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz declared a national state of emergency on 31 October 2026 to free resources for drought and the risk of floods linked to the 2026-2027 El Niño.

Paz signed Supreme Decree 5759. The decree declares a national emergency situation because of the presence of drought and the imminent risk of frost, hail, forest fires, floods, flash floods and overflowing rivers associated with El Niño. It covers the Altiplano, the valleys and the Chaco. The Ministry of Defense is instructed to coordinate with regional governments and municipalities.

A government report released this week said drought is affecting 78,217 families across six or seven of Bolivia's nine departments and has already caused the loss of more than 75,000 head of cattle. Another 917,447 animals are affected. Sixty-three communities have already declared themselves in drought. Departments hit include Oruro, La Paz, Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, Santa Cruz and Potosí.

Paz said in a recorded address that El Niño will have very severe impacts in terms of drought and floods and that Bolivia needs the cooperation of all institutions. He noted that the government had decided to act before the peak rather than wait. The decree allows faster deployment of economic resources and additional rescue teams to hard-hit areas.

El Niño warms surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific. The current cycle is expected to reach very strong intensity, with some forecasts showing sea-surface temperature anomalies of up to 3.8 degrees Celsius above average between November 2026 and January 2027. The United Nations has warned that the event could be of unprecedented strength. Researchers have estimated that the associated excess heat could contribute to roughly 451,000 excess deaths worldwide from June 2026 to February 2027, with the poorest countries bearing the largest share.

Neighbouring countries are already seeing effects. Peru has recorded wildfires that killed at least 12 people. Santiago, Chile, recorded its rainiest October on record. Bolivia itself experienced deadly floods in the Santa Cruz region in December 2025. The current drought has reduced water availability for people and livestock and has already forced some communities to seek emergency supplies of fodder and drinking water.

Paz said the government will put its greatest effort into limiting the damage from the drought that is already under way and from the floods that are expected to follow. The emergency declaration does not by itself create new funding; it removes procedural barriers so that existing budgets and international assistance can be redirected more quickly. The armed forces and police will support distribution and evacuation if needed.

Bolivia's geography makes it vulnerable to both ends of the El Niño spectrum. The high plateau and valleys can experience prolonged dry spells while the eastern lowlands receive extreme rainfall. The 2026-2027 event is forecast to produce both patterns within the same season. Civil defence officials have begun pre-positioning supplies in the departments already reporting water shortages.

The decree was issued on a Saturday evening. Paz appeared on state television to announce it and to call for coordination among governors, mayors and the population. No immediate cash transfers or large-scale food distributions were announced beyond the mobilisation of existing resources. Further measures will depend on how quickly the drought worsens and whether the forecast heavy rains materialise in the coming weeks.

International forecasts from meteorological agencies continue to show a high probability that the El Niño will remain strong through early 2027. Bolivian authorities will update the public as new rainfall and temperature data arrive. The immediate priority remains water and fodder for the communities already under drought declarations.