President Keiko Fujimori's government declared a 60-day state of emergency in the Lima districts of Villa María del Triunfo and Villa El Salvador, seven days after heavy rains and the El Niño weather phenomenon flooded homes, schools and roads, including a bypass, in the two southern districts.
The declaration, issued through Supreme Decree 117-2026-PCM, allows the government to take exceptional, immediate and necessary measures and actions of response and rehabilitation to address the damage caused by the flooding, according to the decree. The government's move came after the economy minister was seen as downplaying the severity of the flooding, according to the report accompanying the announcement.
Under the decree, the response will be led by the Municipality of Lima together with the Villa El Salvador and Villa María del Triunfo district governments, working with Peru's National Civil Defense Institute, known by its Spanish acronym Indeci. The Ministry of Housing, Construction and Sanitation, the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Energy and Mines, the Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations, the Ministry of Labor and Employment Promotion, the Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion and other public and private institutions will also take part.
Why the Government Declared an Emergency
The decree states that the Municipality of Lima's capacity to respond "has been exceeded," making technical and operational intervention by national government agencies necessary.
Over the 60-day period, Indeci will coordinate and monitor the measures adopted by the regional governments of the affected areas. Peru's official gazette, El Peruano, said the actions taken must have a direct causal link to the flooding and could be modified according to needs and safety conditions as they arise, based on technical studies carried out by the relevant agencies.
The government also said it would supply affected residents with medical materials, medicines, food, drinks and other basic necessities.
The emergency declaration was signed by Fujimori, Prime Minister Luis Galarreta, and the heads of the environment, defense, social development and inclusion, economy, education, energy and mines, interior, women and vulnerable populations, health, labor, transport and communications, and housing ministries.
A Delayed Response
The declaration came later than the government had promised. Fujimori visited Villa El Salvador on Monday, August 17, to assess the flood damage. She said she had spoken with the prime minister and that a state of emergency would have to be declared in the districts and regions found to be affected, adding that the declaration was expected that same night and that everything would be activated then.
Housing Minister Mauricio Arnillas backed the measure, saying it was intended to speed up repairs to damaged sewage networks. He said another measure being pursued in parallel was to declare an emergency in the affected areas of Villa El Salvador so the main sewage collector, which had collapsed, could be replaced.
The Districts Affected
Villa María del Triunfo and Villa El Salvador are densely populated districts in southern Lima, Peru's capital. El Niño is a periodic warming of Pacific Ocean waters that frequently brings heavy rainfall and flooding to Peru's normally dry coastline.
