A view of crops damaged by drought, Bolivia. | Photo: Twitter/@boliviaprensa

La Paz, February 7 (RHC)-- Bolivia’s Rural Development and Land Minister Remmy Gonzales reports that at least 2,800 communities in his country are being affected by drought.  "They are mainly on the western side of the country," Gonzales stated, stressing that President Luis Arce's administration enabled 234 water wells to counter the effects of the drought.have also received special machinery to collect water, which may be used for agricultural or livestock purposes.  In southern Bolivia, flooding caused by constant rains destroyed about 21,000 crop hectares.

"In Santa Cruz city, 6 out of 12 municipalities have been declared in emergency," he stressed and explained that the Arce administration will buy fertilizers and seeds for replanting.

“The crops in those plots are already in the rotting stage,” he lamented but stressed that the hectares affected correspond to 0.3 percent of the crop area in these areas, so food security is guaranteed.  Three municipalities in La Paz and Cochabamba cities were also affected by flooding, which has already destroyed homes. People in these cities are receiving direct assistance from the government.

“Different weather phenomena are occurring in a season in which they are not usual,” Civil Defense Vice Minister Juan Calvimontes detailed, stressing that the government has allocated over US $17 million in funds to counteract the impact of all these phenomena.