Peru accelerating post-flooding water, infrastructure reconstruction

Peru's government is pushing ahead with water, housing, and transport infrastructure reconstruction in the wake of record flooding earlier this year, a senior official said.

The government, which has pledged to invest 4.2bn soles (US$1.3bn) in potable water and sewerage projects this year, is also budgeting 2mn soles for repair of city streets and sidewalks destroyed by floods and landslides, housing and construction minister Edmer Trujillo said during a visit to Ancash region's port of Chimbote, one of the most heavily damaged cities.

Ancash alone requires repairs on 360,000m2 of street and 40,000m2 of sidewalk, according to Trujillo. The ministry is also implementing 290 temporary pre-fabricated homes in Huarmey, Casma and Santa provinces, he said.

Rain-swollen rivers and landslides caused by the El Niño phenomenon this year left 158 dead and 291,000 homeless and caused over US$3bn in damage to water and power plants, schools, hospitals, housing, bridges, railroads and roads, according to the central bank. President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski has set a long term price tag of US$9bn for the resettlement and reconstruction of communities.

"In Peru there are places that have huge buildings called Municipal Palaces, and yet the local population doesn't have water," Trujillo said in a statement. "Priorities are expressed in budgets."

Lima state wáter utility Sedapal, meanwhile, said work is 40%-completed on the 370mn-sol Esquema Cajamarquilla, Nievería and Cerro Camote potable water and sewerage projects on Lima's eastern outskirts.

The projects, which will benefit 71,420 inhabitants in 154 shantytowns, involve 17 reservoirs, three wells, 287km of potable water piping and 14,456 domestic connections, the company said in a statement. The project also includes sewage treatment at La Atarjea, 246km of sewerage piping and 14,761 domestic connections.

President Kuczynski, who will complete his first year in office at the end of this month, has pledged to extend potable water and sewerage services to 100% of Peru's 30mn population by 2023. The government has invested 2.65bn soles in potable water and sewerage projects around the country since July 2016, according to the housing ministry.