The National Unit for Disaster Risk Management has officialized the installation of a permanent Unified Command Post to address the El Niño phenomenon contingency.
UNGRD director Javier Pava explained that after the IDEAM announcement on El Niño a strategy was approved in the National Council for Disaster Risk Management. The action plan defines specific measures and resources that are already being implemented.
Among the prioritized actions is reducing the risk of water rationing in 111 high-risk municipalities located in 15 departments, with emphasis on Bolívar, Boyacá, Cundinamarca, Córdoba and Santander. The Ministry of Housing and the CRA are carrying out contingency measures.
For the agricultural sector the Ministry of Agriculture will implement a strategy with investments exceeding 669 billion pesos to protect production and food security. Starting in September Colombia will have two Firehawk helicopters for forest fires.
