Peruvians continue struggling with floods

Floodwaters were sweeping through the streets of 26 areas of Lima on Wednesday after unusually heavy rains the day before. Authorities reported that heavy rains and mudslides affected the drinking water in the most populated area of the country, a Lima district with more than one million residents.

The average rainfall is up to 10 liters per square meter during the year. Rainfall also continued on the northern Pacific coast. The rains in Lima affected a water collector in the area with the largest national population, the area of the capital's San Juan de Lurigancho district, which has more than one million inhabitants.

Drinking water service was restricted in that area after the Rimac River overflowed for a moment. The government has said that rains since January have caused the deaths of 50 people and affected more than 20,000 homes. According to the Peru's National Meteorology and Hydrology Service, the overflows and floods are being driven by Cyclone Yaku, an unusual phenomenon off the coasts of Peru and Ecuador.