El Niño Flooding Forces Evacuations in Argentina's Corrientes Province
Heavy rainfall associated with El Niño has pushed rivers higher across northeastern Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, forcing evacuations and disrupting farms and travel. In Ituzaingó, in Argentina's Corrientes province, the Paraná River reached about 4.7 metres on October 15, according to the Associated Press.
Argentina's National Water Institute (INA) reported a level of 4.81 metres at Ituzaingó on October 16 and warned that levels in sections of the Paraná could continue rising and potentially cross evacuation thresholds. Authorities in Corrientes have been digging drainage channels and preparing for additional rainfall, while ranchers have moved cattle away from flooded pastures.
In Ayolas, Paraguay, across the river from Ituzaingó, local officials reported more than 2,000 people evacuated. High water has affected access at Iguazú Falls, and the Yacyretá hydroelectric complex suspended visits and restricted the crossing between Ituzaingó and Ayolas during the high-water period, subject to reassessment. (GSM, based on Associated Press reporting and INA data)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 阿根廷一侧的伊瓜苏瀑布。 Photo by Horacio Cambeiro, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
