Due to the forest fires raging in Tolima, located in the west and center of Colombia, President Abelardo de la Espriella has decided to declare a state of emergency.
elchi reports that speaking to the press, De la Espriella stated that at least 50,000 hectares of land have been affected by the forest fires, 28,000 hectares of which are agricultural and livestock areas.
He said they are responding to the forest fires “intensively” by air and land, and added: “Tolima is going through one of the most difficult periods in its history, and the government’s response has been urgent, comprehensive, and decisive. 2,660 producers have been negatively affected, the estimated damage amounts to 134 billion pesos, 163,000 animals are at risk due to lack of food and water, and damage has occurred in 23 districts and 507 rural neighborhoods.” De la Espriella announced that they have declared a state of emergency against the ecological disaster caused by the fires and that the national government will implement a special recovery plan for Tolima covering environmental, production, and security aspects. Emphasizing that the necessary support will be provided to producers, De la Espriella noted: “We will not only extinguish the fires; we will restore everything the flames have destroyed, we will revive the Tolima countryside, and we will enable our farmers to resume production. When the flames are extinguished, we will not abandon Tolima to its fate; we will remain in the region until we rebuild the rural areas, production, and opportunities for everyone.”
Şayəstə