A dual weather emergency is battering western Bolivia, with heavy snowfall affecting 26,202 families across three departments while a river burst its banks in the Yungas town of Quime, destroying homes and infrastructure.
Bolivia’s Vice-Ministry of Civil Defence reported on August 19 that the snow and cold emergency had impacted 6,211 families classified as damnificadas (suffering severe damage including loss of livelihood) across 274 communities in 75 municipalities in the departments of Potosi, Oruro and La Paz, according to The Rio Times.
Two Crises, One Emergency
The larger event is snowfall and extreme cold across the altiplano, with Potosi, particularly the Uyuni area, worst hit. The department has declared a regional emergency. While snow is normal on the altiplano during the southern hemisphere winter, the intensity and geographic spread of this event far exceeds seasonal norms, civil defence officials said.
The economic damage centres on livestock losses and road closures. Llamas and sheep have died across affected communities, and highland routes have been shut for days at a time, cutting off remote villages from supply chains and medical services.
Separately, on August 18 and 19, the Kuyuma river burst its banks in Quime, a town in the northern Yungas region of La Paz department. The surge tore up street platforms, flooded homes and trapped an excavator in the river, a significant loss for a municipality with almost no heavy equipment. The municipality is assembling the technical documentation needed to request a formal state emergency declaration.
A Country Already Under Strain
The weather emergency compounds already severe economic pressures. Bolivia’s central bank projects the economy will shrink 3.6 percent in 2026, and the country’s fuel debt has reached 800 million US dollars as it awaits IMF funding. Congress voted on August 19 to censure and remove the economy minister, adding political instability to the crisis, according to The Rio Times.
The Andean nation’s infrastructure in remote highland and Yungas communities is particularly vulnerable to extreme weather. Many of the affected municipalities lack paved roads and depend on aid convoys that cannot reach them when mountain passes close under snow. Civil defence authorities warned that the situation could worsen as temperatures remain low through the coming week.
Sources: The Rio Times; Bolivia Vice-Ministry of Civil Defence
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