Trujillo, Peru

The City of Trujillo located on the northwestern coastal plain of Peru, is an important commercial and transport center for the surrounding farming areas. The expansion of irrigated agriculture has contributed to tremendous economic growth and an expanding population in the city. 

To meet the demands of this growth, the Municipality of Trujillo has invested in expanding its water supply and sanitation, coastal protection, and transportation networks, among other infrastructure. 

These current and planned infrastructure investments are at risk from climate variability and change, which are likely to exacerbate existing vulnerabilities. Portions of the metropolitan area are already vulnerable to coastal flooding and erosion and are also at risk from inland flooding from extreme rainfall and overflow of the adjacent Moche River. These current stresses may become more severe as the climate continues to change. In addition, the local economy is bolstered by agricultural production―mostly grown for commercial export―that is heavily reliant on water delivered by the Chavimochic irrigation project from the glacier-fed Santa River, which be affected by changes in melt, run-off, and glacial retreat resulting from changes in temperature.

Activities and Outcomes
Building on a detailed vulnerability assessment funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Municipality of Trujillo has worked with CRIS to increase the capacity of its staff and partners to address climate risks and to share lessons learned with other cities through peer learning. Specifically, this partnership has yielded the additional following accomplishments:
  • Municipal staff members applied an approach to identify, evaluate, and prioritize a set of Fast Track Implementation adaptation options. 
  • The city is working to leverage and apply technical information in the IDB Vulnerability Assessment to inform practical decision making.
  • Municipal staff members have developed an action plan that describes a set of next steps the Municipality of Trujillo can take to build on the work it has done with the CRIS program.
  • Municipal officials have built relationships with officials from Piura and other cities in Latin America and the Caribbean, enabling the exchange of best practices and lessons learned that will help inform Trujillo’s actions.
Through these activities, municipal officials in Trujillo better understand potential climate changes and how they may affect infrastructure services. They have tested and refined tools and processes they can use on an ongoing basis to assess vulnerability and identify adaptation options to enhance resilience through changes in policies, management procedures, and infrastructure investments. Trujillo has developed a strong foundation of information and analysis that can be applied to identify system-wide vulnerabilities and adaptation priorities. 

Resources
CRIS worked with city officials, community members, and other partners to develop the following resources:
  • Climate Vulnerability Assessment Training Materials
  • Adaptation Planning and Fast Track Implementation Training Materials