He El Niño phenomenon It does not allow improvisations. When the rains come, every uncleaned riverbed, every unprotected stream and every community without an evacuation plan can become a threat to life. For this reason, as an Executive, we have decided to act before the emergency: with preparation, coordination and effective presence in the territory.
The starting point has been demanding. There was no specific comprehensive plan to confront the El Niño phenomenon; A fragmented response predominated, mainly associated with rain, without sufficient articulation between sectors and levels of government. We also found nearly 1,700 critical points without intervention, rivers in Tumbes, Piura, Lambayeque, La Libertad and other coastal regions without cleaning work carried out, dynamic barriers forgotten in a warehouse in Santa Eulalia, and without measures to address the water deficit.
Faced with this reality, the Executive, led by President Keiko Fujimori, made a clear political decision: protect lives. That is the priority that guides each intervention. Protecting lives means anticipating risks, protecting homes, ensuring basic services, preserving critical infrastructure and guaranteeing that the State reaches the most vulnerable places first.
We have established a national coordination body to integrate the actions of the Executive, made up of the ministries of Agrarian Development and Irrigation, Defense, Economy and Finance, Housing, the National Institute of Civil Defense, the National Water Authority and other institutions, with a single strategy, clear responsibilities and verifiable execution.
This government policy is already translated into resources and activities. More than S/1.8 billion has been mobilized for preparation and response to the El Niño 2026-2027 phenomenon. These resources finance the cleaning and clearing of rivers, protection of banks, intervention in streams and drainage, installation of dynamic barriers, attention to water deficit, continuity of strategic projects, strengthening of the Armed Forces, humanitarian support and protection of cultural heritage.
The territorial intervention is carried out in more than 530 prioritized critical points in Tumbes, Piura, Lambayeque, Áncash, La Libertad, Lima, Ica and Arequipa. In these territories, cleaning, channeling and clearing work is carried out to reduce the risk of overflows and flooding. Added to this are 607 districts identified for immediate actions against droughts in 16 regions, such as construction and delivery of reservoirs, lakes, wells, canals and drinking fountains, and purchase of food, vaccines and vitamins for animals. We are preparing for both excess rainfall and water scarcity: both threats compromise the security of families, agriculture and the national economy.
Week by week we have been strengthening the operational capacity of the State. We have more than 1,000 motor pumps, 77 Bailey bridges, 19 helicopters, 14 transport planes, five multipurpose vessels and 300 specialized equipment, including tankers, hydrojets and transfer trucks to protect lives, restore connectivity and bring help where it is needed. Additionally, preparation includes an organized humanitarian response. We have identified 250 points for shelters, arranged 13,000 emergency tents, deployed three field hospitals, and secured 450,000 doses against dengue. Likewise, we maintain more than 6,000 tons of humanitarian aid goods strategically distributed in the country.
The challenge requires permanent coordination. Regional and local governments, the private sector, social organizations and citizens are part of this national response. El Niño may be a natural phenomenon, but the disaster does not have to be inevitable. The difference is made by preparation. Today the Executive is acting with resources, machinery and territorial presence. Peru responds.
*El Comercio opens its pages to the exchange of ideas and reflections. In this plural framework, the Diario does not necessarily agree with the opinions of the columnists who sign them, although it always respects them.
