Guatemala declares state of emergency in 16 provinces due to serve drought
Guatemala: The government of Guatemala has declared a state of emergency in 16 provinces due to drought, reports Guatemalan state television.
The Federal Minister of Agriculture Elmer Lopez said on television that 16 out 22 provinces of the country are facing serve drought in western and central parts of Guatemala.
The emergency has been declared to stabilize food prices and discouraging storage and stock by private companies and persons. Guatemala has an estimated population of 15,806,675, making it the most populous state in Central America. Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, Honduras to the east and El Salvador to the southeast.
This country has been facing natural disasters in past also due to its geographical situation. Guatemala was hit by hurricanes such as Hurricane Mitch in 1998 and Hurricane Stan in October 2005, which killed more than 1,500 people. The damage was not wind related, but rather due to significant flooding and resulting mudslides. The most recent was Tropical Storm Agatha in late May 2010 that killed more than 200.
According to data available on Wikipedia, Guatemala’s highlands lie along the Motagua Fault, part of the boundary between the Caribbean and North American tectonic plates. This fault has been responsible for several major earthquakes in historic times, including a 7.5 magnitude tremor on February 4, 1976, which killed more than 25,000 people. In addition, the Middle America Trench, a major subduction zone lies off the Pacific coast. Here, the Cocos Plate is sinking beneath the Caribbean Plate, producing volcanic activity inland of the coast. Guatemala has 37 volcanoes, four of them are active: Pacaya, Santiaguito, Fuego and Tacaná. Fuego and Pacaya erupted in 2010.
Natural disasters have a long history in this geologically active part of the world. For example, two of the three moves of the capital of Guatemala have been due to volcanic mudflows in 1541 and earthquakes in 1773.
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Guatemala declares state of emergency in 16 provinces due to serve drought
Guatemala drought situation
