Water: Will El Nino event result in shortages across Peru? | Minam | Senamhi | Anne | CEPLAN | Water pressure | | Peru

“The Beaure Lagoon allocated 300 liters of water per second. Now it has come down to 200 liters per second.The head of the municipal water company – Seda Cusco, Juan Figueroa, called on the government to include the ‘Imperial City’. State of emergency due to lack of water in view of the alarming situation of the crossing of the Beure Lake (in Cuzco).

In this scenario management Talked to representatives Ministry of Environment (Ministry), National Water Authority (NAA) Y Chenamhi, To illustrate whether all of Peru could be in similar danger.

The majority of the population in Peru is concentrated on the arid coast, precisely because there is an asymmetry in the distribution of water resources in the national territory, since 97% of the total water availability is concentrated in the Amazon hydrographic region. , towards the east of the country and about 1.77% towards the Pacific.

“Obviously that makes us vulnerable as well. 65% of the population lives on the Pacific slope, so it has 1.77% of the country’s total water supply.”said Milagros Sandoval, director general of Ministry of Environment Climate Change and Desertification.

read more: We need to address the water crisis urgently

However, despite the scarcity of these water resources, two-thirds of our agricultural GDP originates from the Pacific Basin, Sandoval added.

He recalled that during these years, the southern parts of Peru were mainly affected, especially the Andean regions of some sectors, which also experienced a significant drought last year. Huancavelica, Ayacucho, Apurímac, Arequipa, Cusco and Puno.

He said that the Central Highlands and the South-Eastern Highlands were deficient in rainfall during the summer months and that the currents were lower than normal along the coasts of the country due to heavy rains in March.

Areas with high water scarcity?

He ANA expert, Ernesto Fonseca, He pointed out that currently in the south of the country, mainly in Tagna, in its three basins, the shortage of liquid is high. Lokumba, Sama and Kaplina They depend on their saw displacement.

He also mentioned Aiga, which has a large number of agricultural export areas directly dependent on groundwater and the Amazon basin, especially from the Pampas basin, where there are two reservoirs, Choclococha and Caracocha, but they are not filled. They are at their historic lows.

Similarly, in Balba and Nazca (in Ica), it is practically a desert where there is no trade and agricultural activities are limited. “The coast with its nuances is a desert, the central and southern coasts have less water,” he noted.

read more: According to Chenamhi, high temperatures will continue along the Peruvian coast in July

Will there be a shortage of water?

Krinia Avalos, deputy director of climate forecasting at Senamhi, In the case of rainfall, there is no clear signal, there is an increase or increasing trend of rainfall in some areas and a decreasing trend in other points, this last phenomenon is observed in the headwaters. Basin.

He pointed out that according to the study of the direction of climate prediction to know the trends or historical droughts in Puno, almost 60% of the drought events in the Peruvian highlands are related to the environment of El Niño, another small percentage is given. , during La Niña years and others during normal years as well.

“We are paying particular attention to the behavior of rainfall in the southern hilly areas of the country as rainfall was low in October and November last year. The summer season appeared between February and March with the highest rainfall, which meant that the expected amount of rain did not fall.Avalos noted.

He said that we are in a period without rain. “This is a moment that calls for greater awareness of how these defects are formed. There has already been a drought since last spring, and they are likely to continue.” He pointed out.

In the context of the global El Nino, he emphasized that statistics and historical data generally correlate with rainfall deficits between January, February and March.

read more: Global Child: What diseases will this climate event bring?

Representative of Chenamhi The southern Sierra (Puno, southern part of Cuzco, part of Abanque, Ayacucho, upper parts of Tagna, Mokugua) should be observed in case of repeated and L-like events. Nino.

“This could create further damage, especially among populations that are dispersed and vulnerable, who base their economies on family farming and rely on rainfall, not irrigation.” warned.

He reiterated that we are faced with the matter of Southern Sierra Water pressure And we are in short supply for the next rainy season.

“There are significant water scarcity events that are marked in a year or two and then come back in the next year. This is really a sign of climate change,” he said.

He also said that a dry year will definitely affect a farmer who depends on the rains.

He ANA Rep He pointed out that climate change would lead to water shortages across the country.

“There may be a certain decrease in some areas, but a certain amount of water increase in other areas. What is clear to scientists and the climate change team is that extreme events like what we have been experiencing in the country in recent years, extreme rainfall like droughts, can occur in a short period of time.”, expresses.

Meanwhile, the National Center for Strategic Planning (CEPLAN) He argued that Peru is among the countries most likely to experience freshwater shortages by 2040.

He Director of Strategic Studies at Ceplan, Yordy VilchezHe pointed out that despite the availability of physical resources, infrastructure and access works are necessary to ensure that water resources reach the people.

It should be built in the medium and long term, for example, hydraulic infrastructure that can manage the abundant water in the Amazon basin towards the Pacific basin.Channel N is specified.

On the other hand, desalination technologies can also be used, which can provide water to the coastal zone, which are now cheaper because electricity is not intensively used, which makes them more sustainable because they do not pollute much.

read more: The government transfers S/ 2,961 million before the global El Niño

Will the groundwater decrease?

In the case of Aiga, where groundwater is used to irrigate crops, expert ANA It is pointed out that it is important to understand that it is not an isolated source and that it is related to the hydrological cycle, because in some part of the basin it is recharged, thanks to infiltration rains and agriculture. The parts themselves

“A balance needs to be found in groundwater management between recharge zones and recharge sources and extraction. When the balance is broken, closed areas are declared for population use, where certain rights are restricted unless there are certain exceptions, certain conditions. I notice.

Amazon is an advantage

Deputy Director of Climate Forecasting Senahmi A huge percentage of the landmass is Amazonian and that gives us an advantage, hence the importance of protecting the Amazon, he said.

“The Amazon recycles the water, and the atmospheric moisture from the Atlantic recycles it and discharges it into the Andean region, and that helps create rain,” he noted.

However, he emphasized that it is always important to reflect and note that climates are not always uniform, with clear evidence from at least 60 or 80-year-old senmai stations. Warming trend, air temperature, maximum and minimum.

They created scenarios for 2050 and one of the areas where precipitation is higher than normal is the western Sierra Sur, and decreases in the Amazon and highlands.

Measurements

Ernesto Fonseca He pointed out that the country needs to prepare itself and that Basin Councils are already being held for the purposes of planning and drawing up water use and management plans.

There are already advances in the implementation of control and metering infrastructure in the hydraulic sectors, particularly in agriculture, because it is not known how much water is actually being used.

“At the coastal level, in collaboration with the World Bank and the Inter-American Bank, this infrastructure is being implemented (…) It will greatly help us to control the use of water more efficiently,” he said.

He recalled that there was a list of measures to adapt to climate change.

Meanwhile, since it is a multidimensional phenomenon, Grinia Avalos pointed out that there are two challenges: to explore the research method, but effective and timely communication is quickly inserted into the decision-making process of the main actors for the management of water resources, for local, regional and national governments.

General Manager Ministry of Environment Climate Change and Desertification He pointed out that preventive measures are already being taken.

“Some internal and inter-agency committees have been formed to address potential water stress, for example, the National Commission to Combat Desertification and Drought, headed by the Ministry of Environment. There is also a special drought task force headed by the National Water Commission, Midakari, which works to monitor, analyze and manage droughts. are coming I notice.