In Bolivia, the east of the country has been ravaged by fires for more than two months. In total, nearly 4 million hectares have been destroyed by the flames, causing a significant deterioration in air quality in many cities. To address this situation, the government has declared a national emergency to facilitate the arrival of international aid.
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With our correspondent in La Paz, Nils Sabin
Cities are filled with smoke, airports are closed due to lack of visibility and local authorities are overwhelmed by the scale of the fires. For days and days, various actors have been calling on the government to Bolivia to declare a national emergency to fight the fires more effectively, this has now been done.
But the announcement comes very late for opposition senator Cecilia Requena, who specializes in environmental issues. This is a health, environmental, economic and social tragedy. What did the government expect? Because it is obvious that the other measures were not enough. ” she scolded.
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Two regions declared in state of natural disaster
In addition to the national emergency, two regions have already declared themselves in a state of natural disaster due to the fires. And as the senator explains, the fire season is far from over. It’s barely September. The fires could continue until December, like last year. There was no rain and this year there is none either because of the fires. It’s getting worse and worse! ” exclaimed Cecilia Requena.
The national state of emergency will facilitate the arrival of international aid. Thus, 60 Brazilian firefighters have already arrived to help fight these fires. They should be joined in the coming days by French, Chilean and Venezuelan firefighters.
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