About 40 natural parks, ecological trails and viewpoints in Bogota closed access to the public due to air pollution caused by firesreported the mayor’s office of the Colombian capital this Saturday.
“Due to the air quality alert new parks will remain closed and scenes during the weekend”indicated the local government in the X network.
The Mountain chain that limits the city of about 8 million inhabitants to the east has been hit since Monday by four fire outbreaks, most of them now under control. Until Friday, the top of the hill was burning The wire about 900 meters from a popular neighborhood.
The fire has devastated 17,192 hectares throughout Colombia in the last three months, due to the drought linked to the phenomenon of The boy. According to the Ministry of Environment, around twenty points are still active in the country, amidst heat records.
The conflagrations affect forests, crops and mountain ecosystems in which water is born.
In Bogota The authorities recommend avoiding going out and wear masks due to poor air quality.
Residents of the center of the capital complain about the Burning smell and smoke. On weekends they usually do ecological tours and sports, especially cycling in the city located 2,600 meters above sea level.
“The stages and parks that remain closed preventively, while the environmental alert is in force,” the mayor’s office said in a bulletin.
Mayor, Carlos Fernando Galanevaluates whether the fires “they get to the point” to force him to “make restrictive decisions” to the mobility of citizens.
President Gustavo Petro decreed the “natural disaster” since Wednesday and allocated financial resources to address the emergency. The president asked the member countries of the United Nations for help to put out the flames.
This January could be the hottest month in the last 30 years and even higher temperatures are expected in February, according to the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (Ideam).
It is estimated that rain will only fall in March.
