Andina

Peru: PM supervises arrival of 20-ton humanitarian aid in Loreto

Photo: Presidency of the Council of Ministers of Peru

Photo: Presidency of the Council of Ministers of Peru

09:30 | Iquitos (Loreto region), Sep. 16.

Prime Minister Gustavo Adrianzen on Sunday verified in the rainforest city of Iquitos the arrival of 20 tons of humanitarian aid for Loreto region, following the decision of the National Government to declare a state of emergency in the rainforest region due to imminent danger from water deficit.

This support is aimed at families who have been affected by the shortages caused by the Amazon River's drawdown.

"We are about to reach historic records for the river's drawdown; we must prevent the city of Iquitos from being isolated and the most remote communities also from being isolated. We have arrived to supervise the delivery of humanitarian aid arranged by President Dina Boluarte," he stated.

The Cabinet Chief arrived at Loreto's Regional Emergency Operations Center (COER) accompanied by Defense Minister Walter Astudillo and Joint Command of the Armed Forces Chief, General David Ojeda.

At the site, he met with Region Governor Rene Chavez and coordinated the actions for the delivery of food and fuel to families located in the border areas, such as Ramon Castilla and Putumayo provinces.

Prime Minister Adrianzen added that an air bridge has been set up to ensure the supply.

Additionally, he urged Loreto region's population to stay informed about the actions by the Peruvian State to address the water emergency through reports from the National Civil Defense Institute (Indeci), which works in collaboration with the Armed Forces' Amazonian Command.

The Prime Minister also visited the State-run Electro Oriente facilities to assess their capacity to distribute energy.

"We will be vigilant to ensure that, in the following week, Iquitos secures its food and energy supplies," he said.

Actions against forest fires are reinforced

The PCM head reaffirmed that the Armed Forces, in coordination with the National Civil Defense Institute (Indeci), are deploying all their efforts to combat the forest fires that are ravaging various Peruvian regions.

In this regard, he asked the population to remain calm and trust in the actions of the National Government.

"More than 60% of the 222 reported forest fires have already been extinguished. Besides, we have confirmed that only two regions in Peru are free of fires; these are Ica and Loreto. We hope that Loreto remains in this condition," Adrianzen stated.

"The urgent repair of airstrips and small airfields has also been planned to enable our aircraft to reach the fire sites and drop water. Bad weather and strong winds are making this task difficult in Amazonas region, but we will not stop our attempts," he added.

(END) NDP/JCR/MVB

Published: 9/16/2024