Fires devour part of the province of Corrientes in Argentina
governor currentsGustavo Valdes, announced to Argentine province As an “environmental and ecological disaster area” due to fires what or what affected to more than 785,000 hectares or nearly 9 percent of its land, and losses are estimated at more than $374 million.
“The situation is desperate,” Valdes said. Radio MiterIn spite of scattered resources He indicated that he hoped the rain would help stop the progress of the fire: “The only thing that can balance this is climate change. Nature has to be the same, we can’t contain it.”
But the National Environment Minister, Juan Cabande, said in a statement that rainy And what is expected for next Monday is “a stormy front that will last for several days, and it is not possible to guarantee that these conditions will completely extinguish the fire.”
Corentes suffers from middle Last January, a gradual increase in regions burnt He destroyed local forests, planted forests, estuaries and productive pockets, killed animals – in a province that once housed extinct species – and engendered desperation and helplessness in producers and fear among the population.
According to the latest development report fires who made it National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA), the area burned in Corrientes, the province bordering Paraguay, Brazil and Uruguay, was 785,238 hectares as of February 16, accounting for 8.8 percent of the province.
Increasing rate of damaged area burnt Within nine days, it went from a trend of 20,000 hectares per day to about 30,000, according to an INTA report dated February 16.
“The worst affected is Esteros del Iberá. What a giant GoingValdes said.
In absolute terms, the vegetation covers most affected were those of wetland environments of more than 460,000 hectares, according to the INTAincluding estuaries and other wetlands where the affected area doubled, reaching more than 245,110 hectares.
In the Forests The area burned increased almost two and a half times to 31,265 hectares, and in local forests it increased to 28,733 hectares, according to INTA.
Assets and publishing
According to the daily report of National Fire Departmentten fires remained active and one was contained in Corrientes, where 114 members of the brigade are operating, with five hydrant aircraft, one observation plane, three helicopters and three Fire truck.
To the north of Corrientes, in Misiones County, six active fires have been reported and two have been contained – 34 brigade members are working with deployed two Planes Water hydrants and a helicopter – and in the north, in the province of Formosa, another active fire was recorded.
deliberate
The fires were framed in climate change and the severe drought afflicting the country, but the authorities – due to the agricultural practice of burning pastures – and the private sector – for political reasons – suspect that they were intentional.
INTA indicated that as of February 16 in currents “The lack of rainfall and the rise in temperatures, which helped create conditions for the spread of heat sources and spontaneous or intentional fires,” he added.
Corrientes received cooperation From 10 other provinces and the national government, with a contribution of $1.8 million from the Treasury, $200 million from the Department of Agriculture and $900,000 from the Department of Social Development, Valdes is now trying to calm a row over the delay. With the help of the Ministry of Environment.
With information from EFE
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