Water Disasters: Peru's Flood.

“In an age when man has forgotten his origins and is blind even to his most essential needs for survival, water along with other resources has become the victim of his indifference”

Rachel Carson

During this week I would like to discuss different types of water disasters and pay a particular attention on some severe cases. The category “Water disaster” includes such disasters as floods, tsunami or a limnic eruption. We are not going far away from talking about tropical cyclones, because they can result in extensive flooding. Snowmelt can be another cause of flood; the ice caps melt in spring, and the water goes into the sea. The water raises the sea level, and makes the river level rise. When the level of the river rises, flooding may occur. Moreover, there is a number of human caused of floods.

Floods are the most common natural disasters. A terrible flood with huge negative consequences recently occurred in Peru. In January 2010 heavy rains in the Cusco area brought such big a tragedy. The Urubamba river, which runs through the Sacred Valley of the Incas and down past the ruins of Machu Picchu, swelled to an unprecedented volume of 1,100 cubic metres in a second. Flood took out train tracks and bridges across the Urubamba River, cutting off rail access to the town of Aquas Calienates. Approximately 2,000 tourists were trapped in the town for two days until the first helicopters reached the area and began evacuations. Flooding killed at least 26 people and destroyed the homes and livelihoods of some 20,000.

Can you realize the consequences of this flood???

The flood had an enormous impact on the tourism industry and the entire economy of the country. Machu Picchu is an ancient city on a mountain in the Andes, standing 2,430 meters, or nearly 8,000 feet, above sea level in a tropical mountain forest. Known as the "Lost City of the Incas," Machu Picchu is a UNESCO World Heritage site and draws tens of thousands of international tourists every year. It is the most visited site in Latin America. Peru is facing a considerable decrease for the development of tourism industry after this flood forced the evacuation of thousands of tourists stranded at Machu Picchu, and cut access to the ancient Inca city high in the Andes. The historic ruins have been virtually cut from the outside world after storms damaged the railway most visitors use to get there.

• The disaster has dealt a huge blow to Peru's tourism industry, after the sector began 2010 projecting a 10 per cent rise in visitors from last year, when the country welcomed 1.7 million tourists.
• The damaged Cusco region is the source of 90 % of Peru's tourist revenues;
• The losses to the tourist industry will be at least $1m a day;
• At least 15,000 people in the tourism business will be out of work for a few months;
• Tourism operators report receiving hundreds of cancellations in the wake of the severe weather, and tour companies are offering 50 per cent discounts on trips to Peru.
• The Peru Tourism Observatory has warned the country stands to lose up to 0.64 per cent of GDP if tourism declines.

(According to Peru fears tourism decline in flood wake.)

There are many issues to discuss while talking about any tragedy, but I will not go over my current topic. For those readers who are interested in the situation in Peru, here is a link to a blog with detailed information.

http://peruanista.blogspot.com/2010/01/alert-update-on-cusco-mudslides-and.html