A general view of the dried Ajuan Khota dam, a water reserve
affected by drought near La Paz, Bolivia, November 17, 2016.
Bolivia's government declared a state of emergency on Monday
due to water shortages in large swaths of the country amid the
worst drought in 25 years, making funds available to alleviate a
crisis that has affected families and the agricultural sector.
Bolivia's Vice Ministry of Civil Defense estimated
that the drought has affected 125,000 families and threatened
290,000 hectares (716,605 acres) of agricultural land and
360,000 heads of cattle.
President Evo Morales called on local governments to
devote funds and workers to drill wells and transport water to
cities in vehicles, with the support of the armed forces, from
nearby bodies of water.
"We have to be prepared for the worst," Morales said
at a press conference, adding that the current crisis was an
opportunity to "plan large investments" to adapt to the effects
of climate change on the country's water supply.
The national state of emergency comes after 172 of
the country's 339 municipalities declared their own emergencies
related to the drought.
Last week, residents of El Alto, near La Paz,
briefly held authorities with a local water-distribution company
hostage to demand the government explain its plans to mitigate
the shortage.
The drought has prompted protests in major cities
and conflicts between miners and farmers over the use of
aquifers.
(Reporting by Daniel Ramos; Writing by Luc Cohen;
Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)
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http://www.reuters.com/article/us-bolivia-drought-idUSKBN13G1P4