{"id":60130725,"date":"2026-04-29T17:51:58","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T16:51:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/?p=60130725"},"modified":"2026-05-07T20:11:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T19:11:29","slug":"will-chinese-megaprojects-solve-northern-perus-water-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/water\/will-chinese-megaprojects-solve-northern-perus-water-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Will Chinese megaprojects solve northern Peru&#8217;s water crisis?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The sun beats down on Cieneguillo, a valley famed for its lemon and mango plantations near Peru\u2019s northern coast. Farmer Yhon Silup\u00fa C\u00f3rdova \u2013 thin, slow-moving and tanned \u2013 walks silently across his plot until he stops and points: \u201cI lost these two hectares to the drought. I haven\u2019t recovered them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In economic terms, the loss represented about 33,000 soles (about USD 10,000) for Silup\u00fa. His story reflects a phenomenon being repeated across the world: extreme weather and uneven water management are strangling production systems. In Cieneguillo, one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/nortesostenible.com\/crisis-hidrica-en-piura-sequia-en-poechos-revela-pesima-gestion-del-agua\/\">worst droughts<\/a> in decades sparked a water crisis in 2024. Silup\u00fa and other local agricultural leaders say it affected some 6,000 farmers in <a href=\"https:\/\/diariocorreo.pe\/edicion\/piura\/piura-los-agricultores-sufren-por-la-falta-de-agua-en-los-campos-noticia\/\">their area<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to estimates by Piura\u2019s chamber of commerce, the drought caused <a href=\"https:\/\/nortesostenible.com\/crisis-hidrica-en-piura-amenaza-con-perdidas-de-hasta-s-1300-millones\/\">economic losses<\/a> of up to 1.3 billion soles and put nearly 60,000 jobs at risk. Key export crops \u2013 rice, mangoes, lemons and grapes \u2013 were among the most affected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In urban areas, families waited with buckets for the arrival of water tankers. In the countryside, farmers fought over access to the resource; the army was <a href=\"https:\/\/elbuho.pe\/2024\/11\/militares-custodian-el-agua-tras-peleas-y-disturbios-por-conseguir-el-recurso-hidrico-en-piura-video\/\">deployed<\/a> at the drainage system that supplies water to Piura to ward off potential thieves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reduced rainfall played a role in the crisis but many also point to weaknesses in the water system. For example, according to the local government\u2019s Piura Region Water Plan, 63% of the more than 725,000 hectares with productive potential do not have an irrigation system.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The water crisis has also revealed <a href=\"https:\/\/saludconlupa.com\/medio-ambiente\/la-captura-del-agua-como-dos-gigantes-de-la-agroindustria-se-aseguran-un-recurso-escaso\/\">deep asymmetries<\/a> in access to the resource. Research published in 2024 found that, despite growing water scarcity, large-scale agricultural export companies had <a href=\"https:\/\/nortesostenible.com\/crisis-hidrica-en-piura-agroindustriales-y-agroexportadoras-acaparan-el-agua\/\">received<\/a> 93% of the water licences granted in Piura since 2010.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Families, too, are going thirsty. According to the Piura Sanitation Services Company, drinking water <a href=\"https:\/\/nortesostenible.com\/piura-no-tendra-agua-las-24-horas-a-pesar-de-ampliacion-de-la-planta-de-curumuy\/\">demand<\/a> in the region reaches 2,400 litres per second, but actual production barely reaches 1,500. Water production takes place at the Curumuy treatment plant, which receives water from the main reservoir of northern Peru, called Poechos, as well as approximately 30 underground wells. This production gap forces thousands of families to live without continuous access to water \u2013 or to <a href=\"https:\/\/diariocorreo.pe\/edicion\/piura\/emergencia-en-piura-los-pobladores-cavan-huecos-para-buscar-agua-en-las-zonas-bajas-noticia\/\">dig holes<\/a> in search of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-cd-article-image aligncenter block--article-image block--article-image--article\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><div class=\"block--article-image__column\"><div class=\"hide-expand block--article-image__image\"><img class=\"lazy\" data-src=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/failed-lemons_Yhon-Silupu_Piura_Peru_Ralph-Zapata.jpeg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/failed-lemons_Yhon-Silupu_Piura_Peru_Ralph-Zapata-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/failed-lemons_Yhon-Silupu_Piura_Peru_Ralph-Zapata-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/failed-lemons_Yhon-Silupu_Piura_Peru_Ralph-Zapata.jpeg 1920w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 768px, (max-width: 1024px) 1024px, 1920px\" alt=\"person holding handful of healthy citrus fruits in left hand and dried out citrus in right\"\/><\/div><div class=\"block--article-image__content\"><div itemprop=\"caption\" class=\"block--article-image__caption\">In Piura\u2019s Cieneguillo Valley, famed for its lemons, water-stressed crops fell prematurely or dried out during the drought (Image: Ralph Zapata)<\/div><\/div><\/div><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/failed-lemons_Yhon-Silupu_Piura_Peru_Ralph-Zapata.jpeg\"\/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"2 MB\"\/><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"1280\"\/><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"1920\"\/><meta itemprop=\"author\"\/><meta itemprop=\"representativeOfPage\" content=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-cd-article-image aligncenter block--article-image block--article-image--article\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><div class=\"block--article-image__column\"><div class=\"hide-expand block--article-image__image\"><img class=\"lazy\" data-src=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/dried-crops_Yhon-Silupu_Piura_Peru_Ralph-Zapata-v2.jpeg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/dried-crops_Yhon-Silupu_Piura_Peru_Ralph-Zapata-v2-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/dried-crops_Yhon-Silupu_Piura_Peru_Ralph-Zapata-v2-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/dried-crops_Yhon-Silupu_Piura_Peru_Ralph-Zapata-v2.jpeg 1920w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 768px, (max-width: 1024px) 1024px, 1920px\" alt=\"man standing near wilting plants\"\/><\/div><div class=\"block--article-image__content\"><div itemprop=\"caption\" class=\"block--article-image__caption\">Piura farmer Yhon Silup\u00fa C\u00f3rdova surveys his dried-up crops during the October 2024 drought, which became one of most severe on record for northern Peru (Image: Ralph Zapata)<\/div><\/div><\/div><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/dried-crops_Yhon-Silupu_Piura_Peru_Ralph-Zapata-v2.jpeg\"\/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"2 MB\"\/><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"1280\"\/><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"1920\"\/><meta itemprop=\"author\"\/><meta itemprop=\"representativeOfPage\" content=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-china-and-northern-peru\">China and northern Peru<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In December 2025, the Peruvian government <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gob.pe\/institucion\/regionpiura\/noticias\/1321262-china-gana-licitacion-internacional-de-proyectos-de-impacto-regional-poechos-y-alto-piura-gestionados-por-gore-piura\">announced<\/a> China had won an international tender to deliver initial studies for two water megaprojects in the region: Alto Piura and the reinvigoration of Poechos. Both are aimed at securing water access but have been delayed for decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mario Montero, a professor at the National University of Piura (UNP) and a specialist in water management, tells Dialogue Earth the main obstacle has not been technical but political: \u201cEvery year, a budget is announced to move them forward, but they don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>China\u2019s interest in Piura goes further than water projects, however. The region is one of Peru\u2019s main <a href=\"https:\/\/agraria.pe\/noticias\/agroexportaciones-no-tradicionales-de-piura-sumaron-us-460-1-40508\">agro-export hubs<\/a>, shipping mangoes, lemons, avocados and grapes to the US, Europe and, increasingly, Asia. Last year, for example, a Piura-based company exported frozen avocados to China for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=aYAIIdJm070\">first time<\/a>. In 2025, the Chinese market was the <a href=\"https:\/\/agraria.pe\/noticias\/agroexportacion-concentra-el-24-de-las-exportaciones-piurana-41389\">second largest<\/a> destination for exports from Piura, after the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"wp-block-cd-related-news alignright block--related-news loading\" data-post-id=\"60124657\"><div class=\"block--related-news__image\"><\/div><div class=\"block--related-news__content\"><span class=\"block--related-news__heading\">Recommended<\/span><span class=\"block--related-news__title\"><\/span><\/div><\/a>\n\n\n\n<p>This relationship is also reflected in Chinese investments in other strategically important sectors. China\u2019s Zijin mining group is the majority shareholder of the <a href=\"https:\/\/rioblanco.com.pe\/\">R\u00edo Blanco<\/a> copper mine in the Piura Highlands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-poechos-on-the-road-to-recovery\">Poechos: On the road to recovery?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Poechos celebrates its 50th anniversary in June. Designed to store up to a billion cubic metres of water, the reservoir\u2019s effective capacity has been <a href=\"https:\/\/nortesostenible.com\/poechos-ha-perdido-el-62-de-su-capacidad-y-proponen-una-intervencion-hidraulica-urgente\/\">reduced<\/a> to less than half. Even so, it remains a key asset: it supplies water to nearly a million people and irrigates more than 100,000 hectares of agricultural land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt is the largest reservoir in Peru, ensuring the local and export food chain,\u201d says Antonio Valdiviezo, Piura\u2019s regional director of agriculture. \u201cIts recovery will depend on the coordinated work of all Peruvian authorities.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cd-article-image aligncenter block--article-image block--article-image--article\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><div class=\"block--article-image__column\"><div class=\"hide-expand block--article-image__image\"><img class=\"lazy\" data-src=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/20180608_Poechos_water-reservoir_Peru_Fondo-Latinoamericano-para-Arroz-de-Riego_Flickr-v2.jpeg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/20180608_Poechos_water-reservoir_Peru_Fondo-Latinoamericano-para-Arroz-de-Riego_Flickr-v2-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/20180608_Poechos_water-reservoir_Peru_Fondo-Latinoamericano-para-Arroz-de-Riego_Flickr-v2-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/20180608_Poechos_water-reservoir_Peru_Fondo-Latinoamericano-para-Arroz-de-Riego_Flickr-v2.jpeg 1233w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 768px, (max-width: 1024px) 1024px, 1233px\" alt=\"large water reservoir\"\/><\/div><div class=\"block--article-image__content\"><div itemprop=\"caption\" class=\"block--article-image__caption\">Poechos is northern Peru\u2019s primary water reservoir. Designed to store up to a billion cubic metres of water, the reservoir\u2019s effective capacity has since been reduced to less than half (Image: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/flar-arroz\/28799574158\/in\/photolist-KSVmio-KSVm33-KSVmH1-KSVmvC-27Wvs3Q-KSVkHW-27Wxv7G-281MVzB-26DkvZa-281MVT2-JmVEQk\">Fondo Latinoamericano para Arroz de Riego<\/a> \/ <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/people\/flar-arroz\/\">Flickr<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/2.0\/deed.en\">CC BY NC SA<\/a>)<\/div><\/div><\/div><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/20180608_Poechos_water-reservoir_Peru_Fondo-Latinoamericano-para-Arroz-de-Riego_Flickr-v2.jpeg\"\/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"894 KB\"\/><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"822\"\/><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"1233\"\/><meta itemprop=\"author\"\/><meta itemprop=\"representativeOfPage\" content=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>A project to update the reservoir is under consideration, perhaps by expansion, dredging or building smaller, satellite reservoirs. This would require huge investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The economist Miguel Zapata, a member of the Regional Institute for Water Resource Management Support (<a href=\"https:\/\/iragerblog.wordpress.com\/\">Irager<\/a>), says the success of Poechos\u2019 consolidation will depend upon political and institutional factors. Zapata explains that defining the final proposal will take much of this year, and the government will want to ensure it is protected, legally and financially: \u201cA rigorous administrative roadmap is needed. It is essential to have a solid contract that covers hidden defects and force majeure, to prevent the project from ending up in international arbitration, which the Peruvian state usually loses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Zapata also points out that similar projects have <a href=\"https:\/\/nortesostenible.com\/hospital-de-alta-complejidad-de-piura-en-riesgo-por-deuda-millonaria-con-reino-unido\/\">stalled<\/a> in the past because of financing issues, so funding must be secured from the outset to avoid construction pauses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Peru is currently in the middle of a presidential election, its second round of voting scheduled for 7 June. Montero points out this could also impact the project: \u201cSometimes, due to a change of government, the works come to a standstill.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-alto-piura-water-and-energy\">Alto Piura: Water and energy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The second megaproject is the Alto Piura Special Irrigation and Hydroelectric Project (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gob.pe\/institucion\/peihap\/institucional\">Peihap<\/a>). It includes the construction of a dam, a 33 km trans-Andean water pipeline and two hydroelectric power stations. Peihap will upgrade existing agricultural irrigation infrastructure, but also build out more across another 19,000 hectares. All in all, the project will <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gob.pe\/institucion\/peihap\/noticias\/692076-obras-del-proyecto-alto-piura-se-reiniciaran-este-ano-2023\">secure<\/a> irrigation for at least 50,000 hectares and have a total installed capacity of 300 megawatts. This makes Peihap one of northern Peru\u2019s most significant and anticipated hydro projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cd-pull-quote block--pull-quote\"><div class=\"block--pull-quote__wrapper\"><blockquote class=\"block--pull-quote__quote\">We must take advantage of all of China\u2019s experience in water solutions<\/blockquote><cite class=\"block--pull-quote__cite\">Paul Vi\u00f1as, water management specialist, National University of Piura (UNP) <\/cite><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>However, Peihap has already gone through <a href=\"https:\/\/larepublica.pe\/sociedad\/2019\/08\/26\/peihap-inmerso-en-el-abandono-corrupcion-e-incertidumbre\">two<\/a> international contractors and <a href=\"https:\/\/ciarglobal.com\/brasilena-camargo-correa-gana-arbitraje-a-peru-por-proyecto-alto-piura\/\">arbitration<\/a>. China could face quite a challenge in taking on this project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Zapata says the intra-governmental agreement is \u201calready a step forward\u201d but \u201ca roadmap for the project must be established.\u201d No contract is likely to be awarded until 2027, he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Paul Vi\u00f1as, a UNP biologist specialising in water management, emphasises the importance of incorporating nature into the project: \u201cWe must take advantage of all of China\u2019s experience in water solutions. But engineering must go hand-in-hand with nature-based solutions. For example, we must restore the forests in the upper Piura Basin, which serve as rain regulators.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The National Water Authority (ANA) told Dialogue Earth it would not comment on water management in northern Peru. Unsuccessful attempts were also made to interview representatives from the Peruvian Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (MDAR).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Far away from talk of technical studies and governmental deal-making and announcements, Yhon Silup\u00fa walks around his plot in Cieneguillo. The soil is still dry, and the lemon trees have not sprouted again. For him, the promises of dams and tunnels remain remote. \u201cWater is urgent for us,\u201d he warns.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>China has won an international tender to execute the Poechos and Alto Piura megaprojects, both key to the Piura region\u2019s future water security  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50000960,"featured_media":60130739,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[50039903],"tags":[510,556,607],"hashtags":[],"country":[50002601],"class_list":["post-60130725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-water","tag-china-in-the-world","tag-infrastructure","tag-water-scarcity","country-peru"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v26.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Will Chinese 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