Rio de Janeiro forms state committee to tackle El Niño impacts

The Rio de Janeiro state government signed a decree on March 3 to create the State Committee for Facing the Effects of El Niño. Coordinated by the Secretariat of Civil Defense, the committee brings together representatives from 18 state agencies, including health, agriculture, environment, social development, education, public security, infrastructure, science and technology, the Military Firefighters Corps, the State Environment Institute and the Energy and Sanitation Regulatory Agency.

Four permanent technical chambers were established to focus on health and social protection; agriculture, livestock and food security; forest‑fire prevention and environmental protection; and infrastructure, energy and water resources. A dedicated El Niño Situation Room will continuously monitor climatic, hydrological and environmental indicators, issue technical bulletins and analyses, and support rapid, coordinated responses to droughts, heat waves, low humidity, forest fires and their impacts on public health, water supplies, energy systems, agriculture and vulnerable populations. The committee will remain active as long as the El Niño monitoring period persists, with the possibility of extension by the state government.