Transfer of the first Early Warning System for mudslides due to deglaciation in the Andes
Early Warning System in Carhuaz (Video subtitled in English) |
Carhuaz can currently monitor the Hualcan snow peak in real time, thanks to the Early Warning System (EWS). It can now watch the peak’s movements around the clock, and so can warn the community in the event of a mudslide. The Early Warning System for glacier retreat is the first time climate change adaptation and risk reduction measures have been implemented in Peru, and it is hoped it will be replicated with the Ministry of Finance, the Peruvian Water Authority and the Prime Minister’s Office in other glacier river basins at great risk from mudslides.
The Ceremony for the Early Warning System Transfer was held in Carhuaz on 15 July, through the Glaciers Programme, a contribution of the government of Switzerland, a country which shares challenges similar to those of Peru. The event was chaired by the Swiss ambassador to Peru, Hans Ruedi Bortis, the Deputy-minister Mariano Castro and Jesús Caballero García, the mayor of Carhuaz.
Links of interest:
Glaciers Project, fact sheet, Embassy of Switzerland, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC (spanish version)