BOGOTA, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Friday that his government has declared a national disaster for 12 months in response to risks from the El Nino weather phenomenon.

"We will have a mega-drought affecting much of the national territory between December 2026 and March 2027. It is very likely that a drought of this magnitude has never been seen in Colombia's history," Petro wrote on X.

The decree includes the creation of a fund to respond to emergencies, an action plan to promote water saving, and measures to strengthen food security in the most vulnerable regions.

Petro said the measures were designed for the medium term and urged the incoming government to coordinate them responsibly with short-term actions.

He also called for audits of all assigned works and said emergency resources should be directed to subsidized credit for agriculture and the immediate use of undistributed lands from the national land fund.

On energy, Petro called for the use of all resources assigned to the Colombia Solar program and said a list of solar panel suppliers would be opened for companies with stock available or that are able to bring panels into the country within six months.

According to Colombia's Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies, El Nino has already begun to affect much of the country and is expected to worsen in the second half of 2026.

Authorities warned of risks including a sharp decline in water sources, massive losses of crops and livestock, impacts on power generation, forest fires, and public health problems. ■