Peru Prioritizes El Niño Mitigation and Security in New Government Plan

The Peruvian government has declared that addressing the El Niño phenomenon and tackling citizen insecurity will be its two immediate priorities. President Keiko Fujimori announced that extraordinary resources will be dedicated to an emergency plan focused on mitigating the impacts of El Niño.

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Our two immediate fronts will be the mitigation of the El Niño Phenomenon and citizen security. To both we will dedicate extraordinary resources.

This plan includes crucial infrastructure projects such as desilting rivers, constructing modern river defenses, protecting watersheds, and deploying heavy machinery to vulnerable areas. Fujimori emphasized that climate change and El Niño pose a significant threat to families, farmers, and infrastructure across various regions of the country.

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We cannot continue reacting when the disaster has already occurred.

"We cannot continue reacting when the disaster has already occurred," Fujimori stated, signaling a shift towards preventive actions. The government intends to implement a national contingency plan, moving away from a reactive approach to disaster management. This proactive strategy involves initiating river desilting work and building river defenses based on sound technical criteria.

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We will bring heavy machinery to critical points and establish a rapid response logistical system to ensure food, water, and medicines where they are most needed.

To ensure rapid response during emergencies, the government will establish a quick logistical system to guarantee the supply of food, water, and medicine to affected localities. Additionally, farmers impacted by El Niño will receive financial and technical assistance. Fujimori also indicated that urgent decrees and legislative powers would be sought from Congress to expedite these preventative and responsive actions, calling for coordinated efforts with regional and local governments.

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Climate change and the El Niño Phenomenon are no longer problems of the future; they destroy crops, isolate towns, damage roads, and affect the lives of thousands of farmers.