Cobija, Pando: Rise of the Acre River | Ascenso del río Acre

El Diario:

More than 500 families abandon their homes due to the rise of the Acre River

Families are relocated due to flooding in the Acre River. PHOTO: Social Media

The level of the Acre River, which reached 14.50 meters on the bank and continues to rise, caused more than 100 families to stay in various shelters and another 400 families to take refuge in the homes of their relatives or friends, reported the Autonomous Municipal Government of Cobija.

In the last hours, the Acre River presented overflows in some points of its course, and the water level continues to rise, reported yesterday the mayor of Cobija, Ana Lucia Reis.

“The water level will continue to rise, the highest we had was in 2012, (when it reached) almost 15 meters and now we are practically at that level,” said the Mayor, while pointing out that so far this District is one of the most affected at the national level by the overflow of the Acre River.

RELOCATION

“At this moment, there are more than 100 families in various shelters and another 400 families are taking refuge in the homes of their relatives or friends,” said the authority.

She pointed out that there are neighborhoods like Primero de Mayo, where the task of evacuating families began, and there are also other sectors, where it was not thought that the water would reach, that are also suffering from the onslaught of the storm, and they are receiving help from the emergency units of the Bolivian Navy.

Cobija is one of the municipalities that declared a red alert due to the rise of the Acre River and the critical situation it is going through due to floods.

SUSPENDED CLASSES

The Ministry of Education reported that, to date, there are six educational units that, due to rains and for safety, decided to suspend school activities. The establishments are in the departments of Pando, La Paz, and Potosí.

“In total, we have six educational units, nationally, that would be facing this problem. In the department of Pando, in Cobija; in the Yungas region of the department of La Paz, in Chulumani; and in Potosí, in Colcha K,” detailed the Deputy Minister of Regular Education, Manuel Eudal Tejerina.

He stated that, approximately, about 1,600 students would be affected by the suspension of classes and specified that the department of Pando is the region most affected by rainfall. There, two educational units suspended their school activities and there are more than 1,000 students affected by this interruption.

“The most complex case is in Cobija, Pando, where we had a flood in the lower part of the city, where two educational units have been affected. At the moment, classes are suspended, waiting for conditions to improve. This implies that we would have more than 1,000 students without classes due to this climatological phenomenon,” he said.

Regarding the northern region of La Paz, educational activities were suspended in three establishments, and in Potosí in one. In both cases, “there was an immediate action by the municipality and the parents; but as the rain continues, the measure of suspending classes for today (yesterday) has been taken,” pointed out the deputy minister.

The education authority recommended taking the necessary precautions due to the persistent rains that, according to the National Meteorology and Hydrology Service (Senamhi), will continue in several regions of the country. He also said that the departmental and district directors are attentive to different problems that may arise.

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