Peru government invests 1.5 billion soles to combat El Niño flooding

President Keiko Fujimori reported that the Peruvian government spent 1.5 billion soles on prevention measures to combat El Niño, a weather phenomenon described as the most intense in the last century.

The administration moved more than 2,000 units of heavy machinery and completed 35 kilometers of river defenses to mitigate the impacts of heavy rains.

The government completed desilting works on 179 kilometers of coastal rivers, reaching 85 percent of its scheduled goal and removing 4.5 million cubic meters of material from riverbeds. In the La Libertad region, officials allocated 320 million soles for the desilting and stone pitching of the Moche River, which is expected to be finished by the end of the year.

In the areas of Cañete, Chincha, and Pisco, the government finished 35 kilometers of river defenses to protect 10,000 families and 33,000 hectares of crops. To accelerate emergency responses, the government changed procedures for approving tax-funded works, shortening the approval period from more than six months to 30 days. The administration also acquired 77 Bailey bridges and deployed five ships, 23 helicopters, 17 airplanes, and 13,000 members of the Fuerzas Armadas.

Currently, the government holds 7,000 tons of humanitarian aid in warehouses and has identified over 400 locations for temporary shelters.