Bolivia declares a nationwide emergency over El Nino as drought hits 78,200 families

31 October 2026

President Rodrigo Paz of Bolivia has declared a state of emergency across the country to free up money and resources for dealing with the El Nino weather pattern. Figures from the Vice Ministry of Civil Defence put the number of families hit by drought at at least 78,200, in seven of Bolivia's nine departments. The affected departments are La Paz, Oruro, Potosi, Cochabamba, Chuquisaca, Tarija and Santa Cruz. A government report counted the loss of more than 75,000 cattle. El Nino is the warm phase of the El Nino Southern Oscillation in the tropical Pacific, and it shifts rainfall patterns across South America, southern Africa, South-East Asia and Australia. Bolivia is a landlocked country with La Paz as its seat of government and Sucre as its constitutional capital.