Colombia escalates El Niño preparedness as 2026 event intensifies

Colombia's IDEAM has progressively raised El Niño alerts through 2026, prompting the Ministry of Environment to issue adaptation and mitigation guidelines for environmental and territorial authorities. The event's severity and timing remain uncertain, but proactive government response signals heightened risk of drought and fire. This matters as El Niño typically disrupts agriculture, water supply, and energy generation in Colombia.