Safe water in Peru: notices, drought and what to store

Short answer. Peru's health ministry (MINSA) advises making drinking water safe by boiling it, or by adding one drop of household bleach per litre and letting it stand for 30 minutes ¹. It says a person needs about 2 litres a day to drink and a family about 20 litres a day ¹. Phaenyx found no national list of boil-water notices; in Lima, SEDAPAL announces water cuts through official messaging channels ³.

How do I know if my tap water is unsafe?

DIGESA, the health ministry's environmental health directorate, carries out health surveillance of drinking water ⁷. Phaenyx found no national list of boil-water or do-not-drink notices in Peru. What utilities publish are service cuts: in Lima, SEDAPAL invites customers to follow its official WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger channels for notices of scheduled cuts, announced in advance, and of unplanned cuts caused by emergencies ³. Elsewhere, ask your local water provider how it announces cuts.

If water comes from a tanker truck, MINSA asks you to check that the water is clear and that the operator measures residual chlorine above 0.5 mg/l; drinking-water tankers must be light blue ("celeste") and show their health authorisation number ².

If you are told the water is unsafe, follow the local instruction. See What to do during a boil-water notice and Do-not-drink notices.

How do I make water safe during a cut?

MINSA's advice during service restrictions ¹:

• boil the water until it reaches boiling point ("hervir el agua hasta que alcance el punto de ebullición"), or add one drop of plain household bleach ("lejía tradicional") per litre, stir, and let it stand 30 minutes before drinking;
• wash, scrub, rinse and keep covered the containers where you store drinking water, and keep them in the shade, away from dust;
• use stored water first for drinking, cooking, handwashing, basic hygiene and washing utensils, and avoid laundry, watering gardens and long showers.

For other methods, see How to purify water and Living without running water.

How much water should I store?

MINSA's daily figures are about 2 litres per person for drinking and about 20 litres per family for drinking and cooking ¹. INDECI's "Survival Combo" lists a 1/2 litre bottle of water in the 24-hour emergency backpack and a 2.5 litre bottle in the reserve box for days 2 to 4 ⁴. See our Peru emergency supplies page, How much water to store per person and Water storage containers.

Is Peru short of water?

Yes, by global standards. In WRI's Aqueduct 4.0 model, the median of Peruvian cities (weighted by population) falls in the "extremely high" category for current water stress and stays "extremely high" in the 2050 business-as-usual projection; drought risk is "medium" ⁵. These are city medians: a given town or river basin can sit higher or lower.

SENAMHI, the national weather and hydrology service, publishes drought indicators, including the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), by month ⁶. For household steps, see Drought preparedness.

What about private wells and floods?

No official Peruvian guidance for households with private wells was found. See Private well emergencies. After a flood, treat tap and well water as suspect until the local authorities say otherwise, and read Water safety after a flood. A household plan can keep your water stock and local contacts in one place.

Frequently asked questions

How much bleach do I add to water in Peru?

One drop of plain household bleach per litre, then wait 30 minutes before drinking ¹.

How much water does a person need per day?

About 2 litres to drink; a family needs about 20 litres a day for drinking and cooking ¹.

Where are water cuts announced in Lima?

On SEDAPAL's official WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger channels, for both scheduled and emergency cuts ³.

Is tanker water safe?

Check that it is clear, that residual chlorine measures above 0.5 mg/l, and that the tank is light blue with a health authorisation number ².