President Ollanta Humala said Saturday the Peruvian government would take all precautions and be prepared for a potential arrival of El Niño on Peru’s coast.

"Hopefully there isn’t one, but if El Niño comes, we are already taking action with regional governments, and local civil defense to see the river defenses, review bridges, and monitor climate change," Humala said.

The government is still unsure if the phenomenon will occur this year, but a recent report by Enfen (the country’s national El Niño research agency) said that if sea temperatures remained steady this month, it would confirm the arrival of a ‘Coastal El Niño’, Peru21 reported.

The ‘Coastal El Niño’ is a phenomenon similar to El Niño, but would only affect the country’s northern waters, the daily said.

The president urged citizens to remain calm, and emphasized that precautions were being taken.

"When this phenomenon occurs, the key is to stay calm. Nothing is certain yet, but whether it comes or doesn’t come, it can not stop us from our daily activities,” he added.

 

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