Torrential rains sweeping through Peru since January have killed at least 85 and left 14 missing, according to the country's National Institute of Civil Defense (INDECI). They have also resulted in 51,000 victims out of a broader total of 300,000 affected as thousands of hectares of farmland were flooded. The northern regions of Tumbes, Lambayeque, Piura were the most damaged.
On Thursday, April 20, the INDECI announced a new episode of violent rains on the northern coast as well as in the central and northern Andes. Many municipalities in Piura and Tumbes were placed on red alert. Dozens of residents were forced to abandon their homes to seek refuge in safe areas. Others put up concrete walls in front of their doors.
Since January, floods, landslides and mudslides have become part of the daily life of the residents affected by the heavy rains. Peru is experiencing an abnormally intense rainy season this year due to the onset of a "Coastal El Niño" climate phenomenon which triggers a rise in water temperatures near the coast, the effects of which are being felt in Peru and Ecuador.
At the beginning of April, Piura witnessed five times more rain than it would normally during the whole month in just a few days. The coastal Niño is different from the global El Niño which occurs every six to seven years and disrupts the climate on a global scale. A global El Niño could start in December this year or in January 2024, according to climatologists' estimates.
Impressive images of destroyed houses, infrastructure, schools, health centers and people risking their lives trying to cross rivers were shown on television. Lima, where the annual rainfall is extremely low, was not spared. Ten died there between January and March. Cyclone Yaku, which passed off the Peruvian coast in mid-March – an unusual tropical event in this part of the world – brought heavy rainfall causing significant damage as Lima was unprepared for large-scale rainfall.
Poorly executed works
On Tuesday, demonstrations took place in Piura and in a number of cities of the country to protest against the absence of response from the government and regional authorities while a lack of drinking water was felt and residents were still in the water. The protesters demanded, among other things, drainage pumps.
On April 9, a nurse from a public hospital in Piura vilified the authorities on television: "Everything has leaked, there are filtrations in the ceilings, are you waiting for the roof to collapse on patients and staff to intervene?" Many mango, rice, corn and banana crops were lost.
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