Bolivians on Risk Alert Due to River Overflows in 8 Departments

January 2, 2024 Hour: 9:58 am

On Monday, the administration of President Luis Arce issued an orange alert for 8 out of 9 Bolivian departments due to the risk of river overflows that heavy rains could cause from January 2 to 7.

RELATED:

Bolivia’s Constitutional Top Court Rejects the Existence of Indefinite Re-election

The National Meteorology and Hydrology Service (SENAMHI) warned the population near rivers in the departments of Tarija, Potosí, Chuquisaca, Santa Cruz, Cochabamba, La Paz, Pando, and Beni about possible natural disasters.

The river overflow warning, issued for the third time in the last four weeks, emphasizes progressive and sudden rises in water levels in the face of the heavy rains that are expected.

The orange alert is declared when the upward trend in river levels and the persistence and intensity of the rains indicate the possibility of overflowing rivers in the coming hours.

Lluvias inundan viviendas en Arbieto y aumenta caudal de ríos en 3 regioneshttps://t.co/p2ipu7i9ns

— Turbión Digital TV (@TurbionBolivia)
December 31, 2023

The text reads, “Rains flood homes in Arbieto and increase river flow in 3 regions.”

Several departments have been facing difficulties since the end of 2023 due to intense rains, such as the town of Las Mercedes, in the municipality of La Asunta, where the landslides have affected about 60 homes.

At the beginning of December, the overflow of the tributary in Cotagaita in Potosi left at least three dead and considerable damage to homes and crops. Two other people lost their lives when the vehicle they were traveling in fell into the Mapiri River in the municipality of Guanay.

From November to December 2023, the Civil Defense Ministry counted over 2,800 families affected by the intense rains that caused floods, floods and landslides.

#FromTheSouth News Bits | Bolivia signed a USD 450 million agreement with the Russian state company Uranium One Group to build a lithium pilot plant to produce batteries and components for electric vehicles. pic.twitter.com/zcHh8L4Unm

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish)
December 14, 2023