Bolivia

The UN’s humanitarian wing has appealed for more than USD 18 million to provide relief to 300,000 Bolivians needing urgent assistance in the wake of deadly floods, mudslides and landslides. Heavy rains have pummeled the country since last November, claiming at least 52 lives and causing some communities to lose their livelihoods and income for the third year in a row, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported. All nine departments in Bolivia have been affected, but the department of Beni, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz are considered the worst off, with tens of thousands of hectares of arable land lost to flooding and landslides. (UN News)