00:00We go now to Bolivia as forest fires, although fewer than in previous years,
00:05continue and abated despite the start of the rainy season in several regions of the country,
00:10and they're concentrated in the Department of Santa Cruz,
00:13traditionally the most affected by this annual phenomenon.
00:17Our correspondent, Freddy Morales, with the details.
00:23Forest fires continue to burn in four of the country's nine departments,
00:26but more than 80% of them are concentrated in the Department of Santa Cruz.
00:31The orange alert for high temperatures is still in effect, issued by the National Weather Service,
00:39which provides the conditions for these forest fires to continue to develop.
00:47Rainfall has been spotty, with not all areas affected by the fires receiving rain.
00:51The government of Santa Cruz reported that in that department alone,
01:00100,000 hectares have been affected.
01:06We have 545 hot spots, a significant reduction, in Santa Cruz for 117,
01:12seven active fires throughout Bolivia,
01:14infra departments, in Beni and San Javier, in Potosi and Puebla,
01:17which was completely extinguished yesterday, and is now in the cooling-off period.
01:21In Santa Cruz, we have rising temperatures in Garayos, in Concepción,
01:25in San Ignacio de Velasco, and in San José de Quiquitos,
01:28and in Tarija, in the Villamontes area.
01:31The government of Santa Cruz has repeatedly requested urgent assistance to deal with the situation.
01:44We have received many notes from the government of Santa Cruz,
01:49stating that the situation of the fires in Santa Cruz have exceeded the operational capacity of the government,
01:54so that there is a need to declare a departmental disaster.
01:56But according to the rules, in order to receive extraordinary aid,
02:06any region affected by natural disasters that exceed its response capacity,
02:11must declare a state of disaster.
02:13The government of Santa Cruz must declare a departmental disaster due to forest fires
02:21in order to mobilize more resources.
02:29What is striking is that after five consecutive years of forest fires,
02:32the Santa Cruz government has only been able to rent a single helicopter,
02:35given the recurrence of forest fires in the department.
02:38The areas affected by fires have not yet reached one million hectares,
02:50compared to last year when the country reached a record of more than 12 million hectares.
02:54Fire traditionally used to clear cultivated areas,
02:57in recent years has also been used as a political tool by businesses and other sectors
03:01to affect the national government, and economic management,
03:05in order to claim ownership of the burnt state lands.
03:09Freddy Morales, Telesur, Bolivia.
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