Bolivia flooding devastating roads, homes, agriculture

Bolivia's heavy rainy season has left at least 10 dead and over 17,500 people affected by widespread flooding to date, government officials said.

Torrential rains sparked by the La Niña weather phenomenon has forced the government to declare a state of emergency in 70 municipalities around the country, defense minister Javier Zavaleta told state Radio Patria Nueva.

Flooding has also washed out 50,000ha of crops in departments including La Paz, Cochabamba Oruro, Santa Cruz, Beni and Chuquisaca, according to planning minister Mariana Prado.

Flooding has destroyed at least 700 homes in seven departments, according to the state housing agency, spurring the government to set up a 70mn-boliviano (US$10mn) reconstruction fund.

"When we have the tally, we'll see what we have to replace in terms of urban infrastructure, roads and homes," Prado told state news agency ABI. "We'll also help farmers to reprogram their loans."

Bolivia's banks must restructure loans issued to flooding victims, banking regulator ASFI said in a statement.

"Financial intermediation entities must individually review the situation and impact on each debtor who has suffered losses from natural disasters," the agency said in a statement.

Bolivia, a major producer of commodity crops such as soybean, coffee, sugar and sorghum, posted US$1.405bn in agricultural exports in 2017, accounting for about a fifth of the Andean country's export earnings, according to the Bolivian foreign trade institute.

At the same time this year's rainfall, estimated to be 70% higher than usual levels, has refilled La Paz's reservoirs, according to the potable water and sewerage control agency AAPS.

The flooding in central and eastern Bolivia comes after the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) expected impacts from the La Niña phenomenon in Peru and Ecuador, where governments have been investing in flooding prevention works.

The eastern Andean region over the past year suffered the effects of both global warming and La Niña, where cooler ocean temperatures cause drought in the highlands.

President Evo Morales is seeking US$500mn in international emergency aid to invest in potable water and irrigation infrastructure. He declared a national emergency and sacked his top water officials for failing to warn the government about the lack of water supply, amid severe drought that in late 2016 forced state water utility Epsas to restrict water services in La Paz.

The government, which completed the US$146mn Misicuni reservoir last year, has been focusing investment on potable water and irrigation systems since then.