IR-PREP - Special Preparedness Activities in Bolivia in relation to El Nino

This Operation expired in February 2016.

Most climate models indicate that by the end of the year a strong El Niño phenomenon will develop in the Pacific Ocean. The intensity of this even is beginning to increase with a peak expected for the last quarters of 2015. According to different sources, this could become one of the strongest El Niño of the last 35 years.

Bolivia is within the area expected to be affected by El Niño. In Bolivia it is expected to modify the rainfall patterns causing floods in the northern lowlands and droughts in the highlands and in El Chaco Region. In recent years the recurrence and impact of El Niño/La Niña events have significantly increased.

There is a general concern about the impact of a strong El Niño in Bolivia. The Government has been working on preparedness actions. The Vice Minister of Civil Defense (VIDECI), the national Government’s agency that is responsible for emergency response and rehabilitation, has prepared along with key sectors (agriculture, health, education, infrastructure) a contingency plan based on the most likely scenarios.

The Government has requested WFP to support its preparedness actions, namely: scenario simulations; storage capacity improvement; warehouse tracking system.

The duration of this project will be for 3 months (15 November 2015 to 14 February 2016).