LIMA, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Peru is "highly prepared" for the onset of El Nino, a climatic phenomenon that can unleash extreme weather, especially along coastlines, the government said Saturday.

While the phenomenon has not yet hit, local authorities are in a "state of alert," Defense Minister Jorge Chavez said at a press conference at the headquarters of the National Emergency Operations Center in Lima.

"I cannot have a meteorological forecast of how it will occur, but I can guarantee that we are highly prepared to receive and protect our population," Chavez said.

Peru currently has "900 engineering teams in regions that could be impacted," so areas can be mapped to quickly attend to any contingency that may arise, he said.

With the start of the January-March rainy season, several regions in the north and south of Peru have already seen flooding and rivers overflow.

As far as Lima is concerned, the National Meteorology and Hydrology Service warned of above-normal water flows in the Chillon, Rimac and Lurin rivers.

The commission in charge of the National Study of the El Nino Phenomenon maintains a "Coastal El Nino Alert," expecting the phenomenon to last until the beginning of autumn 2024 once it hits. Enditem

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