High risk yet home to thousands: the makeshift towns at the mercy of landslides and floods in Peru

A late-afternoon storm in Ayacucho, Peru, in December 2009 brought torrential rain that overwhelmed drainage systems and turned streams into lethal flows of mud, stones, and debris. Houses and streets flooded, drivers were trapped at a busy junction, and the disaster caused ten deaths, 18 injuries, and damage or destruction to 530 houses. Nearly 17 years later, thousands of additional homes have been built in areas at high risk of extreme weather on the outskirts of Ayacucho. In Latin America, one in five people live in unplanned settlements often located in zones vulnerable to flooding, landslides, or drought. These communities are more exposed to climate crisis impacts and have fewer resources to manage temperature extremes and disaster risks. Mollepata shows this pattern with self-built adobe or brick houses on steep slopes near a road that degrades into a dusty, pothole-ridden path.

"In December 2009, a lateafternoon storm unleashed torrential rain over Ayacucho, in Peru, hitting poor hillside neighbourhoods hard. The deluge overwhelmed drainage systems, turning streams into lethal flows of mud, stones and debris that flooded houses and streets and trapped drivers at a busy junction. Ten people died, 18 were injured, and 530 houses were destroyed or damaged, according to a government inquest."

"Nearly 17 years on from the tragedy, thousands more have built their houses in areas at high risk of extreme weather on the outskirts of Ayacucho. Castro, who lives with the threat of history repeating itself, represents 34 community groups who are working with local government to bring these areas starting with Mollepata into the fold of urban planning."

"Throughout Latin America, one in five people live in unplanned settlements, built haphazardly and often in high-risk zones for flooding, landslides or drought. These are inherently more vulnerable to natural disasters brought on by the climate crisis. As extreme weather events become more frequent, the urban poor are simultaneously exposed to temperature extremes and least equipped to manage them."

"Mollepata is a telling example in Latin America. Self-built adobe or brick houses with corrugated metal roofs balance precariously on steep slopes bordering the road from Ayacucho's centre. What starts as a paved road soon turns into a dusty, pothole-ridden path."

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