150,000 people have been displaced in Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil
Image :AP
The relentless summer rains across a vast area of Latin America have displaced at least 150,000 people and destroyed much of the property in the affected regions. A majority of the displaced refugees are from Paraguay, with at least 130,000 people living in makeshitft shelters for a few days now. While the Paraguay river in Asuncion, the capital, is only 30 cm short of crossing over its banks. some regions in the capital are already largely flooded.
Latin America is seeing its most lethal flood in the last few years and President of Paraguay, Horacio Cartes, has quickly freed up $3.5m for relief efforts. The North-eastern parts of Argentina are experiencing its worst flood in the last five decades. In what began as a spell of heavy rainfall on 18th December, that lead to the expansion of the Uruguay and Quarai rivers, at least 6 people have been killed in rain-related accidents and flooding, especially in the Entre Rios, Corrientes and Chaco provinces in Argentina. Nearly 20,000 people have been evacuated in Argentina and another 1,800 families have been moved to safer areas in the Brazil region of Rio Grande de Sul. Moreover, almost 200 electric pylons have been severely damaged.
Although most displaced families across the Uruguay river have returned home, after weathermen forecast dry weather along the Uruguay-Brazil border, water levels in Paraguay and Argentina are still rising. Meanwhile, researchers are unsure about the exact cause of the sudden floods, but many are claiming a bigger than usual impact of the El Nino phenomenon as a prime reason.
Source: BBC
