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Peru Forum Urges Real-Time Climate Data for Water Utilities

Faster forecasts with predictable preventive financing would let utilities turn El Niño warnings into concrete contingency actions.

Overview

  • The XXXV Foro del Futuro, convened by Ceplan and OTASS on Friday, recommended that Empresas Prestadoras de Servicios de Saneamiento (EPS) receive priority access to timely, real-time meteorological data.
  • Speakers said Peru already has modern monitoring systems for El Niño but that a key gap remains in converting those reports into operational decisions inside utilities.
  • Ceplan’s Saúl Barrera called for immediate investments in infrastructure, steady finance and continuous operational management, while OTASS representative Francisco Carbajal urged technical strengthening tailored to each region’s exposure.
  • Participants formalized proposals to link national agencies (Ceplan, OTASS), forecasting bodies (Senamhi, IGP), regulators, academia and subnational governments so forecasts become direct predictive tools for sanitary planning.
  • If adopted, the recommendations aim to keep taps running during floods and droughts by funding preventive measures, improving contingency protocols and sustaining technical support through a strategic horizon to 2050.