Bolivia suffers worst floods for 25 years
Pastor Dale Morgan
*Bolivia suffers worst floods for 25 years*
06 Mar 2007 17:31:00 GMT
Source: Christian Aid - UK
Around 40 people have been killed and tens of thousands have been left
homeless by floods in the eastern lowlands of Bolivia.
Most of Beni province, which is roughly the size of Britain, is under water
Christian Aid partner, CIPCA, which had been working with residents to
prepare for floods, report that many people have been cut off from food
supplies and are eating their livestock to survive.
The chickens and sheep - given to them by CIPCA - were meant to provide
food and income for families who can no longer depend on hunting wild
animals in the rainforest.
The floods are thought to be part of the El Niño effect which is being
felt all over Bolivia with drought, hail and freezing temperatures in
highland areas killing animals and crops.
Recent floods in Mozambique and the Philippines are also linked to El
Niño and have affected thousands of people.
Andrew Pendleton, Christian Aid's senior climate change analyst said:
'This is yet again an illustration of how the lives of vulnerable poor
people are at the mercy of the weather.
'This El Niño phase gives us a glimpse of what the world might have to
cope with as the climate changes invoke greater extremes of weather.
It's not a pretty picture.'
In eastern Bolivia, the effects of the flooding are made worse by the
large scale deforestation of the Amazon basin by large-scale cattle
ranching and soya production.
CIPCA has worked in the area for 10 years. Director, Oscar Bazoberry
said: 'We understand that floods are a characteristic of the area, and
that they may get worse because of climate change.'
They believe that government and local groups must work together to make
sure that communities are able to survive these extreme weather conditions.
CIPCA hopes that many of the longer term crops they have helped
communities plant, like cocoa trees, will have survived the floods,
allowing families to recover quickly from the disaster.