The National Government through the Colombian Agricultural Institute ICA, announced new measures to protect the integrity of the animals that are around the Nevado del Ruiz Volcano.
The entity issued External Circular Number 01-2023, through which it discloses the guidelines that will be applied within the framework of disaster risk management measures.
It might interest you: Nevado del Ruiz: Earthquakes increase, but the intensity of the volcano decreases
“Urgent and priority attention will be given for the issuance of Internal Mobilization Health Guides – GSMI to peasants, producers and marketers who, by virtue of preventive evacuation, move with their animals from producing farms to destination farms or temporary shelters,” said the ICA.
With this measure, people who live in the sector will be able to move around the area with permission and reach the areas designated by the local authorities.
“The provisional lifting of blockades to the mobilization of farms of origin that are located in areas where preventive evacuation (orange alert) or emergency (red alert) is required is authorized. For this purpose, the producer may request the GSMI without regardless of the reason for the sanitary blockade and the ICA will issue said guide with the corresponding annotation of the reason for the blockade for subsequent follow-up,” the entity comments.
In the same document, the ICA indicates that in the event of a possible evacuation that implies the mobilization of animalsthe entity will guarantee the technical and support staff to support these procedures.
Likewise, the ICA will be under the creation of evacuation lines for animals and training of personnel to manage them if necessary depending on the species.
In case you missed it: Ash fall from the Nevado del Ruiz volcano to the Lagunilla river would affect municipalities in Tolima
These measures are taken some time after the controversial statements by the director in charge of the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management, Luis Fernando Velasco, who pointed out that “a cow can be replaced with help from the Ministry of Agriculture.”
Finally, it should be remembered that President Gustavo Petro asked the Departmental and Municipal Councils for Risk Management to speed up the preventive evacuation of 2,500 families who are at high risk due to the Nevado del Ruiz contingency.
