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El Niño likely to affect over 200,000 Peruvians

Xinhua, September 16, 2015 Adjust font size:

Over 200,000 Peruvians are likely to be affected by the El Niño phenomenon, mainly along the country's coastal regions, Isaac Martinez, director of Peru's National Water Authority, warned Tuesday.

The executive stated that a study of the development of El Niño shows that around 53,220 houses will be at risk of collapsing in the southeastern regions of Arequipa, Moquegua and Tacna.

Research found that the next torrential rains caused by El Niño could put 563 towns at risk of flooding, said Martinez.

Peruvian authorities have asked those living in danger zones to relocate to avoid the human cost, ahead of El Niño's strengthening in November. The Peruvian National Meteorology and Hydrology Service (Semahi) alerted that El Niño is set to have a similar impact to that in 1997, when it caused numerous natural disasters, including floods and landslides, and causing damages worth over 3.5 billion U.S. dollars.

The research into El Niño also stated that, this year, damages to houses, fields and infrastructure may well top 3.7 billion U.S. dollars. Endite