Bolivia enters a national state of emergency due to raging forest fires

On September 7 local time, facing the serious situation of forest fires, the Bolivian government declared a national state of emergency in the country.

It is reported that this large-scale forest fire has destroyed up to 3.8 million hectares of forests and pastures, causing extremely serious damage to the ecological environment and natural resources. The Bolivian Ministry of Defense pointed out that there are currently 72 active fire points in the country, 64 of which are concentrated in the eastern region of Santa Cruz. The province of Santa Cruz is not only the most populous province in Bolivia but also its most economically developed region. This fire has brought a huge impact to this area.

In order to speed up internal coordination and obtain international support to extinguish the fire, the Bolivian government made this emergency decision. Defense Minister Edmundo Novillo said that after entering a national state of emergency, it will be possible to follow up on developments with partners more flexibly and quickly and make international aid arrive more efficiently. At the meeting where this decision was announced, representatives of international organizations such as the United Nations and the European Union as well as neighboring countries such as Brazil all expressed their willingness to respond to Bolivia's needs. Bolivia's needs include dispatching aircraft, firefighters, equipment, experts and humanitarian aid.

South America usually has a forest fire season every August and September. However, due to this year's drought and little rain, Bolivia entered the forest fire season as early as July, resulting in a severe fire situation. At present, firefighters and disaster reduction experts from countries such as Brazil and Chile have entered Bolivia to assist in disaster relief. The Bolivian government is actively taking measures to fully deal with the forest fires to protect people's lives and property and the ecological environment. The international community is also concerned about the disaster situation in Bolivia and hopes that the country can control the fire as soon as possible and get through this crisis.