Cabinet Chief Jorge Capitanich has revealed that 19 districts of Buenos Aires province have been affected by flooding caused by record levels of rainfall, with a total of 5,203 people evacuated across the region.
The official read out a report this afternoon from the Emergency Committee of his office, explaining that the situation was caused by «the impossibility of lowering water levels in rivers in the interior,» as well as soil saturation and «intense winds that have impacted on the river beds.»
According to the government report, the Buenos Aires districts affected were Luján, Marcos Paz, La Matanza, Bragado, Arrecifes, Pilar, Mercedes, San Fernando, San Miguel, Tigre, Esteban Echeverría, Quilmes, Ensenada, Salto, Carmen de Areco, San Martín, Lomas de Zamora, Moreno and Baradero.
Asked by a reporter about the tense words exchanged between governor Daniel Scioli and national lawmaker Sergio Massa, Capitanich maintained Scioli’s contention that private neighbourhoods had a negative impact on flood control «could be true in certain places.»
Source: Buenos Aires Herald