Bolivia Declares Nationwide State of Emergency as El Niño Drought Hits 78,000 Families and Flood Threat Grows

LA PAZ — Bolivia has declared a nationwide state of emergency as a deepening drought blamed on El Niño leaves tens of thousands of families short of water and food, and as the government braces for floods in the rainy season ahead, President Rodrigo Paz announced on Saturday, October 31, 2026.

The decree, signed by Paz, is designed to speed up the release of money and the deployment of rescue teams to the areas hit hardest by drought and flooding, according to reporting by Al Jazeera and by Xinhua News Agency. Paz warned that the approaching El Niño weather pattern would have what he called "very severe impacts in terms of drought and floods," and said Bolivia needs "the cooperation of all institutions" to face it.

Drought is now affecting families in six of Bolivia's nine departments, government figures show, and has already killed more than 75,000 head of cattle. With the rainy season — which generally runs from November into March — about to begin, officials are simultaneously preparing for river overflows and flash floods in some of the same regions.

Illustration: Cracked earth in a drought-affected Bolivian highland landscape, where water shortages have hit farming families and livestock.

What Happened

On Saturday, October 31, 2026, President Rodrigo Paz signed a decree establishing a nationwide state of emergency to deal with the effects of El Niño, Al Jazeera and Xinhua reported on November 1. The measure allows authorities to mobilise financial and human resources more quickly, strengthen coordination among government agencies, and seek international cooperation to help affected families, Xinhua reported.

According to a government report cited by Al Jazeera, drought has affected 78,000 families across six of Bolivia's nine departments and has led to the loss of more than 75,000 cattle. Bolivia's Vice Ministry of Civil Defence separately reported that nearly 80,000 families across six departments were facing water shortages, Xinhua reported, while 63 communities were already affected by drought and the livestock sector was struggling with shortages of animal feed.

A more detailed assessment released alongside the declaration, covering June 1 to October 29 and cited by Defence Minister Ernesto Justiniano, put the broader toll higher: 114,048 families experiencing the consequences of drought across 63 municipalities in six departments. Of those, 78,217 families were classified as affected — meaning their living conditions or economic activities were disrupted — while another 35,831 had suffered direct losses to crops, livestock or other sources of income. The different totals reflect different ways of counting the same crisis — an initial headline figure for families affected, and a wider assessment that also counts families with direct losses — rather than two separate events.

The decree also calls for further deployments of rescue teams in areas hard hit by flooding and drought, Al Jazeera reported. Civil Defence has identified Santa Cruz and parts of Beni and Cochabamba as areas requiring particular attention because of the possibility of flooding and river overflows, and officials have warned that the greatest impacts from rainfall-related emergencies could occur between November and February.

Background

El Niño is a natural climate pattern in which warmer-than-normal sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific change winds, pressure and rainfall around the world, often bringing drought to some regions and heavy rain and flooding to others. It occurs roughly every two to seven years, and its effects vary by location.

The current event is unusually strong. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported in early September a nearly 100 percent likelihood that El Niño would continue through February 2027, and in an update on October 21 it said the event was expected to strengthen further during November 2026 through January 2027, with ocean temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific forecast to reach approximately 3.8 degrees Celsius above the reference average for the season, according to reports of the WMO outlook. The organisation expects the event to peak around December 2026, with consequences for rainfall and temperature patterns extending into 2027.

Bolivia is not facing the crisis alone. Al Jazeera's reporting noted that neighbouring Chile's capital, Santiago, recorded its rainiest October ever, while wildfires in Peru killed at least 12 people last month. Bolivia itself is prone to flooding: in December 2025, floods in the Santa Cruz region killed dozens of people. Myanmar's Department of Meteorology and Hydrology has separately warned, based on WMO and international climate centre assessments, that a very strong El Niño could peak in November and December 2026, and Myanmar has set up heat relief shelters for residents facing extreme temperatures.

Illustration: Emergency teams delivering water and supplies to drought-affected families in rural Bolivia.

Why It Matters

For Bolivia's farming families, the emergency is about daily survival and livelihoods at once. Water shortages affect drinking water, crops and livestock together: feed shortages are already weakening herds, tens of thousands of cattle have died, and families that lose crops or animals also lose income. When a drought is followed by flooding in the same season, the damage compounds — dry, hardened ground absorbs less rain, and rivers can overflow into communities already weakened by months without water.

The declaration matters beyond Bolivia because it is an early, concrete test of how governments in the region handle a forecast peak that has not yet arrived. The WMO's outlook points to the strongest impacts in the months ahead, not behind. If the rainy season brings the heavy rainfall officials fear, Bolivia will need rescue capacity, shelter and food support in place before rivers rise — which is why the decree emphasises preparation and equipment now, rather than after the first major flood.

The crisis also shows how a single global climate pattern produces opposite disasters in neighbouring countries at the same time: drought in Bolivia's farming regions, record rain in Santiago, and deadly wildfires in Peru. That patchwork is why regional cooperation — the kind Paz called for — is central to the response, from sharing forecasts to coordinating relief across borders.

What Happens Next

In the short term, the state of emergency should allow Bolivia's government to move money and personnel faster to the six affected departments, with rescue teams pre-positioned in flood-prone areas including Santa Cruz, Beni and Cochabamba. Officials have said equipment and emergency personnel are being prepared before the most active rainfall period, which they expect between November and February.

Over the coming weeks, attention will turn to whether the rainy season brings relief or new disaster. Normal seasonal rain could ease water shortages in some areas, but intense downpours on drought-hardened land could trigger the flooding Civil Defence is warning about. Updated assessments from the Vice Ministry of Civil Defence — including how many families remain affected and how livestock losses evolve — will show whether the emergency measures are reaching the hardest-hit municipalities.

Looking further ahead, the WMO's expectation that El Niño will peak around December 2026 and persist through February 2027 means Bolivia's emergency is unlikely to be short. International attention will also sharpen in the run-up to the COP31 climate conference in Antalya, Türkiye, from November 9 to 20, where developing countries are pressing for more adaptation finance and loss-and-damage support — the very kinds of funding Bolivia is now seeking to help its affected families recover.

Illustration: An Andean valley in Bolivia under storm clouds, as officials warn of possible flooding during the rainy season.

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FAQ

What did Bolivia declare, and why?

President Rodrigo Paz signed a decree on October 31, 2026, declaring a nationwide state of emergency over El Niño. It is designed to speed up funding and rescue deployments to regions affected by drought and flooding, and to prepare for further flooding in the rainy season.

How many families and animals are affected?

A government report cited by Al Jazeera put the figure at 78,000 families affected across six of nine departments, with more than 75,000 cattle lost. A wider Defence Ministry assessment covering June 1 to October 29 counted 114,048 families experiencing drought consequences across 63 municipalities — 78,217 affected and 35,831 with direct losses.

What is El Niño?

El Niño is a natural climate pattern in which warmer-than-normal Pacific sea surface temperatures change global winds and rainfall, bringing drought to some regions and heavy rain or flooding to others. It occurs roughly every two to seven years.

When is El Niño expected to peak?

The World Meteorological Organization expects the current event to peak around December 2026, strengthen through November 2026 to January 2027, and continue through February 2027, with effects extending into 2027.

What happens next in Bolivia?

Rescue teams and equipment are being pre-positioned in flood-prone areas, including Santa Cruz, Beni and Cochabamba, ahead of the November-to-February period officials identify as the highest risk for rainfall emergencies. Whether seasonal rain brings relief or flooding will determine how the crisis develops.

Sources

Al Jazeera, "Bolivia declares state of emergency over El Nino weather pattern," November 1, 2026, as republished by EuropeSays and other outlets. Xinhua News Agency, via NewKerala and Daily Kiran, November 1, 2026, reporting President Rodrigo Paz's decree, Civil Defence figures and the 63 affected communities. The Daily Business Standard (TBS News), November 1, 2026. Above the Norm News, November 1, 2026, citing Defence Minister Ernesto Justiniano's June 1–October 29 assessment and the World Meteorological Organization's October 21 outlook. All figures, quotations and dates in this article are attributed to those reports; where assessments differ, both are reported with their sources.