Peruvian army works to remove 1 million cubic meters of sediment from river

Peru’s army is carrying out a large-scale operation to clear more than 1 million cubic meters of sediment from the Piura River in the country’s northern Piura region.

The work covers seven critical points along 15.5 kilometers of the river. Heavy machinery and specialized personnel from military engineering and construction battalions are taking part, with units based in Sullana, Tumbes and the Amazonas region.

The Defence Ministry said the operation is especially important because an impact from El Niño could affect 16,414 people, around 8,000 homes and 400 hectares of crops in areas near the river.

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As I said at the beginning of my term, we would have liked previous governments to have taken measures as well. However, we are not here to make excuses, but to move forward much faster.

President Keiko Fujimori visited Piura on Wednesday to inspect prevention work. She said 30% of the sediment that needs to be removed had already been cleared and delivered 20 water pumps to municipalities for use during flooding caused by heavy El Niño rains.

“As I said at the beginning of my term, we would have liked previous governments to have taken measures as well. However, we are not here to make excuses, but to move forward much faster,” Fujimori said. She added that the pumps needed to arrive before an emergency because authorities could not know when flooding would occur.

The army has also assigned personnel and specialized machinery to other exposed areas, including Canta and Santa Eulalia in the Lima region. It has 22 engineering battalions and 219 mechanical units for immediate response. Fujimori said the government would approve additional credits to increase funding nationwide in preparation for El Niño and other internal security needs. Peru’s latest El Niño study estimated a roughly 70% probability of an extraordinary event in the coming months, falling slightly to 62% in January, with intensity expected to decline to strong or very strong levels in February and March.

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It is essential that these deliveries take place now because, when the time comes, we do not know when or at what time these disasters could occur.