Visit project partners UTEC Peru

— by Alessia, Heidi, Dian & Anne —

December 2024 – Our project partners from UTEC – Universidad de Ingeniería y Tecnología, Lima visited IVM for two weeks in December. With Pedro Rau, Adriana Rojas Castro, and Andrés Fernando Figueroa Curo we were diving into drought in the Andes, exploring Adriana’s research on drought paradoxes in rural communities and Andres’ work on drought propagation in the Rimac basin. And of course we also did some nice social activities.

Project dinner with both teams (Lima & Amsterdam)

Adriana Rojas Castro presented her PerfectSTORM work in the Tarma province in Peru: How do droughts and floods affect communities in the Peruvian Andes? Using a mixed-method approach — combining hydro-meteorological data analysis with community surveys — Adriana showed us a few paradoxes on water scarcity in the region! More on her work will come soon!

Adriana presenting her research

Also Andrés Fernando Figueroa Curo presented his research on: How do reservoirs influence drought propagation in the Rimac basin? Within the PerfectSTORM project, he investigates the role of complex reservoir systems in the Rimac basin, the primary water source for Lima, the world’s second-largest desert city. The first results suggest that large reservoirs can help mitigate drought propagation, while smaller reservoirs may have the opposite effect.

Andrés presenting his research

And the highlight of the week was Pedro Rau’s presentation at the IVM Institute for Environmental Studies drought group meeting!

Pedro’s work in mountain hydrology explores several topics, including the role of wetlands in buffering dry conditions, the development of automatic water level sensors, and bridging hydrology with society. By linking the analysis of hydrological processes with the study of how drought impacts communities, his research highlights the rapid climate- and human-driven changes unfolding in the Andes.

A heartfelt THANKS to the UTEC team for their visit and the exchange of ideas! We’re excited to continue this collaboration and look forward to all the research ahead as we work together to better understand drought in the Andes!

Pedro presenting his research