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The National Disaster Risk Management Unit (Ungrd) reported on the morning of March 3 about the serious situation facing the country due to the El Niño phenomenon, which has caused a significant increase in forest fires.
At the moment, 20 active fires are reported throughout the national territory and in the last 14 hours only 3 conflagrations have been eliminated.
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The departments most affected by these fires are Antioquia, Bolívar, Boyacá, César, Cundinamarca, Magdalena, Santander, Valle del Cauca and Vichada. In response to the emergency, authorities have mobilized resources to address 11 of the active fires through aerial operations.
The Vice Minister of the Environment, Tatiana Roa, has led the Unified Command Post (PMU) to coordinate the response to these forest fires. The PMU has provided a detailed report on the current situation, highlighting the need for rapid and coordinated action to mitigate the devastating effects of the El Niño phenomenon in the country.
The Ungrd is coordinating the availability of resources and entities of the National Disaster Risk Management System (Sngrd) to provide support in responding to these fires. Joint work seeks to minimize damage and protect the lives and property of Colombians in the face of this emergency.
In recent hours, the department of Santander has been hit by a series of large fires, with at least four incidents reported. The most worrying of them is occurring in the municipality of Barrancabermeja, the governor of the department himself, Juvenal Díaz, has stated that “he’s out of control”.
The city’s Mayor’s Office has issued statements describing the worrying situation: “We are working intensely to safeguard the physical integrity and life of the citizens, fauna and flora of Barranco, in the face of the heat wave and forest fires. that in the rural area have been presented since Friday, March 1,” indicated a municipal spokesperson. Today, the conflagration completes 72 active hours.
The emergency is concentrated in an area known as El Llanito, where the flames have persisted despite the efforts of authorities and emergency agencies. Access to the area is complicated, which has made containment efforts difficult. Given this situation, an urgent call has been made for air support to be provided.
“We have requested help from the Government so that by means of a helicopter we can contain this fire. We hope to give you good news in the next few hours and that we can control the flames to save the lives of many fauna,” commented a municipal official.
For his part, Governor Díaz reported that they have already requested support from the national government. “Police planes were authorized to help with water discharges,” said the president.
This emergency occurs in the context of the official declaration of the El Niño Phenomenon in Colombia by the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (Ideam). in November 2023. This phenomenon has brought with it a reduction in precipitation and an increase in temperature. In fact, the decrease in historical averages associated with the season of less rain has affected fauna and flora in a large part of the Colombian territory.
In response to this situation, the Government issued Decree 037 of 2024 on January 27, by which a National Disaster situation was declared throughout the national territory, recognizing the seriousness of the effects of the El Niño Phenomenon and the need to coordinated action to address its consequences.
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