Over a million Piura residents at risk from floods as river capacity plummets

More than a million residents in Peru's Piura region face significant flood risk as the Piura River's capacity has diminished due to sediment and vegetation buildup. The National Center for the Estimation, Prevention, and Reduction of Disaster Risk (Cenepred) warns that crucial infrastructure projects are behind schedule and cannot be completed before the rainy season begins.

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the time to execute definitive infrastructure works has already run out and the priority must focus on immediate measures to reduce the risk of flooding before the start of the rainy season.

Cenepred's analysis indicates that 27 districts in Piura are at very high risk of flooding, with another 22 at high risk, making the region highly vulnerable to extreme weather events. Maria Gallo, a Cenepred spokesperson, urged local and national governments to prioritize immediate mitigation measures in the four months remaining before the rains.

The Piura River's ability to handle water flow has severely decreased since the 2017 "El Niño Costero" event, which caused widespread damage and displaced over 450,000 people. The river's current capacity is estimated at only 2,000 cubic meters per second in the affected stretch, down from over 3,800 cubic meters per second during the 2017 flood. A recent Comptroller General's report identified 74 critical points needing urgent cleaning and desilting of rivers and ravines.

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Local residents express fear and frustration. Magaly Valdiviezo, a resident whose home was destroyed in 2017, criticized the lack of government action, stating, "It was not a failure of nature, it was a human failure. I feel total indignation; the work of local governments is not visible."

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It was not a failure of nature, it was a human failure. I feel total indignation; the work of local governments is not visible.