LIMA, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Peru declared a 60-day state of emergency on Tuesday in 1,380 districts across the country over the imminent threat of heavy rainfall associated with the El Nino weather phenomenon.
The measure, published in the official gazette El Peruano, covers districts in 24 departments and the Constitutional Province of Callao, including areas in Amazonas, Ancash, Apurimac, Arequipa, Ayacucho, Cajamarca, Cusco, Huancavelica, Huanuco, Ica, Junin, La Libertad, Lambayeque, Lima, Loreto and Madre de Dios.
It also includes districts in Moquegua, Pasco, Piura, Puno, San Martin, Tacna, Tumbes and Ucayali.
Under the decree, regional and local governments will carry out coordinated emergency measures with technical support and oversight from the National Institute of Civil Defense (Indeci), along with relevant ministries and public and private institutions.
The measures will include immediate actions to reduce disaster risks, respond to emergencies and carry out rehabilitation work to protect vulnerable communities.
The decision was based on an Oct. 30 assessment by Indeci, which identified the affected districts as facing particularly high risks from expected heavy rainfall.
The agency warned that the continuation of coastal El Nino conditions and its development in the central equatorial Pacific could significantly increase the likelihood of intense rainfall, requiring urgent government intervention in vulnerable areas.
