MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Virtual schooling adopted in Paraguayan areas hit by wildfires

A Brazilian team was deployed to keep the flames from reaching the Pantanal, a geographic region comprising stretching across Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay

Paraguayan education authorities decided on Monday to cancel on-site classes in areas affected by heavy smoke and switch to virtual schooling in areas hit by forest fires such as Alto Paraguay and Boquerón.

“Due to the large number of fires registered and the dense layer of smoke affecting air quality, and within the framework of the National Education Plan for Risk Management, and taking into account the recommendations issued by the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare,” a series of guidelines were adopted to preserve the health of people involved in the so-called “educational community,” which involves teachers, students, and other school staff.

The new measures are to be in force “until the air quality is normalized,” it was also explained. At the same time, outdoor recreation and sporting activities are to be suspended given “the harmful effects it may cause on respiratory and eye health.”

In addition, educational community members have been advised to wear face masks and seek medical help in case of respiratory problems or allergies.

The Paraguayan government also seized the opportunity to promote the intake of healthy food and adequate hydration habits.

Meanwhile, in neighboring Bolivia, a 62-strong Brazilian relief group has been deployed to keep the flames from reaching the Pantanal, a natural region encompassing the world's largest tropical wetland area, and the world's largest flooded grasslands located mostly within the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, but also comprising parts of Bolivia and Paraguay

The Brazilian team includes 37 military personnel from the National Public Security Force and 25 firefighters from the Federal District Military Fire Brigade, Agencia Brasil reported. Brazil’s Foreign Ministry is coordinating the operation, which has been entrusted to a disaster specialist from the Ministry of Integration and Regional Development.

According to the Itamaraty Palace, the fires along the Bolivian border pose a threat to the Brazilian Pantanal. The mission aims to assist Bolivia in controlling the fires and to prevent new outbreaks from spreading into Brazil. Hence, overflights and satellite mapping are planned to identify fire outbreaks along the Bolivian border with Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, the Brazilian states that encompass the Pantanal biome. In recent weeks, 112 fires have been reported in the region, 18 of which were still active Sunday, 23 were under control, and 71 had been extinguished.