Published at: 27/08/2026 10:30 AM

The National Center for Disaster Risk Assessment, Prevention and Reduction (CENEPRED) warned that more than nine million people in Peru are at a very high risk level due to the threat of floods, floods, landslides and droughts linked to the El Niño phenomenon.

The institution's territorial analyses, based on official meteorological and hydrological reports, show a critical vulnerability distributed across 22 departments of the country, where exposure to extreme weather events requires immediate preventive measures.

The Piura region leads the national flood risk scenario, with 27 districts and 1 million 357 thousand 582 inhabitants exposed to severe flooding, followed by highly vulnerable areas in Lambayeque, La Libertad and Tumbes. In the same way, Piura leads the risk due to mass movements, such as huaicos and landslides caused by heavy rains, directly affecting 20 districts and 280 thousand 790 inhabitants located both in its coastal areas and in the mountains.

For its part, the southern highlands are highly vulnerable to prolonged water deficit caused by climate change. Puno has the largest number of people in critical danger due to drought, totaling 29 districts and 465,890 people exposed to a possible shortage of water for consumption and agricultural work. Meanwhile, in the Peruvian Amazon, the department of Loreto has the highest territorial exposure to rainfall and floods.

Faced with this contingency scenario, CENEPRED technical teams provide constant advice to regional and local governments to formulate and implement their Disaster Risk Prevention and Reduction Plans.

The authorities also emphasized that detailed information and statistical cartography remain available and updated in the entity's geographic information system to facilitate defensive decision-making in threatened areas.

Mazo News Team