September 27, 2024, 5:35 PM
September 27, 2024, 5:35 PM
More than seven million hectares of forests have burned in the department of Santa Cruz alone, but the tragedy may be greater because there are still active fires. Faced with this reality Calls are growing to declare a disaster situation on a national scale and the Government has not ruled it out.
On the one hand, deputy Froilan Mamani, who chairs the Plural Justice Commission, assured that the situation facing the country deserves not only laws, but clear actions and policies.
“More help must be asked for. We have to be responsible with the country; we can no longer see from the sidelines while our brothers are suffering in the east,” he stated.
A declaration of a national disaster would help the State to request greater international aid to be able to control heat sources and large forest fires.
According to reports from the Government of Santa Cruz, although the air quality has improved in recent hours due to the recent rains, there is a forecast of winds and high temperatures for the next three days. These conditions facilitate fire.
“It is time to declare a national disaster because, although nature is helping, we continue with the same problem,” the legislator remarked after pointing out that “a long time ago” international help should have been sought with a disaster declaration.
There are municipalities like the case of San Rafael de Velasco where the fire has not given a respite; forming lines of up to more than 100 kilometers that threaten the biodiversity of the Bolivian Pantanal region. In that region the fires have been active for 100 days.
“All political actors have to work on this issue of fires; We are only looking at the political part and not the social part,” Mamani insisted.
Assessment
Shortly before, President Luis Arce met with the leaders of the union conglomerate of the Unity Pact who is loyal to his government. At the meeting he provided a report on the lack of dollar fuel and fires, the three big issues of this situation.
In fact, President Arce issued televised messages about these problems during the last three weekends just past.
The Vice Minister of Coordination with Social Movements, Juan Villca, reported that the leaders of the Unity Pact “They gave recommendations” for the president to take measures in the face of these great challenges.
This week, the Second Constitutional Chamber of the Departmental Court of Justice of La Paz granted three precautionary measures to protect animals, displaced indigenous peoples and the Ayoreo indigenous people, who are in a situation of isolation due to the fire.
The Constitutional Affairs professional of the Ombudsman’s Office, Adrián Zárate, explained that these precautionary measures oblige the State to guarantee health and food for the indigenous peoples who had to leave their communities and are displaced.
This appeal was presented due to the lack of timely actions from at least three ministries, the governorates of Santa Cruz, Beni and Pando, as well as 12 municipalities.
“Our house is burning and the forest fires are growing,” said the Ombudsman, Pedro Callisaya, when urging President Arce to declare a national disaster.
“Facing this situation of natural disaster, we want to urge the president of the Plurinational State, in the most respectful way that can declare a national disaster, within the framework of Law 602 on Risk Management,” he stated.
The Vice Minister of Communication, Gabriela Alcón, pointed out that the evaluation is being carried out and new meetings will also be held to take “the circumstances that this situation in the country warrants.”
“There is no reaction of rejection (to that request), at all; It is being evaluated at this time (…). From the last report I have, there will still be rainfall these days, an evaluation will be carried out and decisions will be made there, no action is ruled out because it is being evaluated on the spot and with the local authorities,” the authority said.
