The entire Guatemalan territory is in vulnerability conditions before the rainy season, which has begun to gradually, says Ángela Leal, Undersecretary of Integral Management for the reduction of disaster risk of the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (CONRED).
“In the Republic of Guatemala we have a point of greatest risk and it is the entire national territory, there is not really a place that we can say to one hundred percent that has a very low level of not suffering,” Leal said during an interview, in which he explained that the country, despite having a great natural wealth and geological diversity, “has built its own risk.”
“As a population, we have dedicated ourselves to building where we should not build, to throw down areas that we should not have touched,” he said.
Among the most flooding areas, Leal pointed out the lower parts of the country, especially the southern coast and the bocacosta. He also warned about the constructions that have risen in the natural channels of the rivers, where water inevitably seeks to recover its passage.
“In places like Petén and Quetzaltenango we have also seen how it has been won ground to the river, and that happens to us,” he said.
To this situation are added the effects of forest fires, which have left large extensions without wooded coverage. It indicates that, after the fires, the territory is more exposed and the water runs freely.
“Forests serve to retain water, but we are losing them,” he said.
The official regretted that in Guatemala there is no real culture of territorial planning, except for some specific initiatives, such as the plan developed decades in the capital under the direction of Mayor Manuel Colom Argueta.
“Urban expansion has been disorderly and accelerated. It has eaten the rapid construction of housing and growth without planning. We continue to have a hydrocephalus at the government level in the Metropolitan Area of Guatemala, where everything is concentrated,” he explained.
One of the most worrisome cases mentioned by loyal is Chimaltenango, a work that, according to the geological risks of the soil.
“That land is as dusty, with little to touch it, falls apart. And what touches it? Water,” he said, warning that with few rains that infrastructure already presents serious problems.
Contrary to what some reports could indicate, the Deputy Secretary of Conred clarified that it is not 10,000 vulnerable points, but an entire country with different levels of susceptibility to threats such as floods and landslides.
“In the national territory everything is vulnerable. What needs to be done is to evaluate what level of risk we are willing to handle in each part of the country” he stressed.
Regarding preventive work, Leal explained that Conred coordinates actions with the municipalities so that mayors know the risk maps of their municipalities and work with the communities. An response protocol for the rainy season, with specific analysis and recommendations is given every year. Dimulatures and evacuation exercises are also carried out in areas at risk, with the aim that communities know how to act when the rain grows.
Although human resources remain insufficient for the magnitude of emergencies, Leal stressed that the budget for this year has increased. Thanks to this, forest firefighters have been hired that, outside the fire season, are trained to support flood situations.
“Yes we have conditions to support the population. Obviously more is always required, but the system is working and we are trusting its response capacity,” he concluded.
Cold front
For this weekend, May 10 and 11, an increase in rains and fog presence is forecast during the early morning and night, mainly in regions from the north to the center of the country. Climate change is associated with the approach of a cold front to the north of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, according to the National Institute of Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology (Insivumeh).
The meteorological entity reported that several regions of the country could face rainfall above the average in the next three months, between May and July 2025.
The rainy season would be established in the center, the Pacific and the valleys of the East since the second half of May. In Petén, it is expected to start between May 25 and June 5. By June, a month with frequent rains is expected in good part of the national territory.
Damage
The first rains that have been recorded have caused some damages. On May 2, Villa Nueva’s traffic authorities reported on a flood at kilometer 36 of the Route to Pacific, which affected vehicular mobility.
That same day there was a undercut at kilometer 14.5 of the main boulevard Tubac, route to El Frutal, in San Miguel Petapa, which has caused complications in vehicular mobility.