Floods, landslides, and relentless rainfall have pushed Bolivia into its worst natural disaster in over four decades, prompting President Luis Arce to declare a national emergency on Wednesday. The severe weather, which began in November, has already claimed 51 lives and affected more than 378,000 families across the country.
Emergency measures and widespread damage
The government’s emergency declaration will allow expedited procurement of resources, international financing, and swift mobilization of humanitarian and technical aid. So far, 209 of Bolivia’s 300+ municipalities have reported damage, with more than 2,500 homes affected and 818 completely destroyed, as reported by 20minutos.
“This situation demands we act decisively,” Arce stated, describing the rainfall’s scale as unprecedented since the early 1980s.
Schools have been damaged, hundreds of roads and bridges rendered impassable, and key infrastructure across La Paz, Cochabamba, and Santa Cruz compromised. The government has deployed more than 4,000 military personnel and distributed 234 tons of humanitarian aid, including mobile medical brigades.
The Amazon bears the brunt
The Amazonian department of Beni has been hit hardest, prompting its own declaration of disaster. Over 2,000 families have seen their homes swallowed by floodwaters as the Beni River overflowed. Locals have resorted to makeshift camps along roadways and rely on boats for transportation, while facing shortages of clean water due to contaminated wells.
In indigenous highland regions, flooding has decimated quinoa and potato crops, while camelid livestock losses continue to mount. Further south, in Santa Cruz, residents of Puerto Pailas woke to find their homes submerged after the Cotoca River unexpectedly burst its banks. “The water arrived without warning,” said local resident Alfredo Ramos. “Our home is completely underwater.”
Crisis response and long-term concerns
A $75 million emergency credit line was approved last week by Bolivia’s Senate from the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean to respond to such disasters. However, with heavy rains expected to persist into early April, red alerts remain in effect across multiple departments.
The national government has scheduled an emergency meeting in La Paz for Monday, bringing together regional leaders to coordinate further responses.
With much of the country’s food supply, housing, and infrastructure under threat, Bolivia now finds itself in a race against time—fighting back not only floodwaters but the long-term consequences of climate-driven disasters.
