Bolivia declares state of emergency after El Niño phenomenon kills 75,000 cattle

Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz declared a state of emergency on Saturday (31st) local time to mobilize resources to deal with the impact of El Niño. Government departments reported that the drought has killed 75,000 cattle in the country.

"AFP" reported that Paz said in a speech to the country that Bolivia was facing both floods and drought due to the El Niño phenomenon, so it declared a state of emergency to deploy more rescue units in severely affected areas.

"This phenomenon will have very serious consequences in terms of droughts and floods, and we need the cooperation of all agencies," Paz said.

The El Niño phenomenon will increase the sea surface temperature in the equatorial central and eastern Pacific Ocean, which will lead to changes in global wind direction, air pressure and rainfall patterns.

A report released by the Bolivian government this week stated that the drought has affected 78,000 households in the country's six provinces and resulted in the death of more than 75,000 cattle.

The United Nations warned this week that the El Niño phenomenon could be "unprecedented" in intensity, causing disasters in Latin America, East and Southern Africa, Asia and the Pacific.

Bolivia's neighboring country, Peru, has recently been hit by wildfires caused by rising temperatures, killing at least 12 people.