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Peru Flags Persistent El Niño Costero as Preparations Lag in Piura

Warming seas with slow project approvals leave hundreds of thousands of hectares of crops and vulnerable communities exposed to higher flood and drought risk later this year.

Overview

  • Early July reports from the national meteorological service show El Niño Costero remains active with winter temperatures above normal and an alert in force through summer 2027.
  • CENEPRED risk maps identify more than 846,000 hectares in the Piura region at high or very high risk of landslides and flooding, concentrating exposure in Bajo Piura and nearby provinces.
  • The Ministry of Housing has opened a coordination roadmap with regional and local officials and PECHP is doing a topobathymetric survey of the Piura River to design a channel guide and produce a technical file for imminent interventions.
  • Execution and approvals are lagging: the Autoridad Nacional de Infraestructura has spent roughly 36% of budget for older disaster projects and ANA’s emergency fiche to install geobags remains pending, delaying river defenses residents are demanding.
  • Scientists say coastal rains usually need sea-surface temperatures near 28°C but current readings are about 25°C, so heavy coastal precipitation is expected later in the season and experts warn a multi-year climate anomaly could extend impacts through 2028–2030.