Estado no invirtió 22,000 millones de soles por “El Niño”, denuncia la CCL

The El Niño phenomenon, which began in March of this year, could reach its peak intensity in the coming weeks and last until September, with a high probability of reaching a very strong magnitude. Given this scenario, the Lima Chamber of Commerce (CCL) warned that the government failed to spend approximately S/ 22 billion that could have been allocated to preventative works to mitigate the effects of the climatic event. Alberto Ego-Aguirre, a maritime and port affairs specialist at the CCL, pointed out that these resources were not used despite the need to reinforce infrastructure and implement preventative measures. Meanwhile, the head of the CCL's Institute of Economics, Óscar Chávez Polo, maintained that the growth in tax revenue and the high income generated by exports demonstrate that the country does have the resources to face the emergency, and therefore believes the problem lies in the execution of public spending. The Chamber of Commerce also warned that one of the hardest-hit sectors would be the fishing industry. According to Ego-Aguirre, species such as jumbo squid, calamari, and hake would alter their migration routes due to ocean warming, impacting fishing activity and exports. If a scenario similar to that experienced during the 1997-1998 El Niño phenomenon were to repeat itself, thousands of workers linked to the fishing industry could be affected. In this context, Senator-elect Martha Chávez called on the incoming government to adopt immediate measures to address the emergency and raised the possibility of requesting legislative powers from the new Congress. The senator maintained that resources are available in regional governments, municipalities, and the national government, and therefore considered the lack of investment in preventative measures unjustifiable in the face of a phenomenon that, she reminded, occurs cyclically in the country.