For the second time this year, tourists have been denied access to Machu Picchu, the ancient city nestled in the Peruvian Andes. This time, the cause is not flooding, but a protest over an irrigation project, according to guardian.co.uk.
Authorities have suspended rail service due to local protests regarding the Majes-Siguas II irrigation project that will leave the town of Espinar, 400 miles south of the capital Lima, without water.
Three local tourist transportation companies have decided not to visit the area for a few days as the violent protests could endanger the safety of tourists. Clashes between police and protesters left one man dead and 44 injured.
Officials say the irrigation project could generate 150,000 jobs while guaranteeing Espinar’s water supply, but residents’ suspicion grew after a state investment agency awarded a concession to a private consortium. The Peruvian government is anxious to negotiate a resolution.
Authorities were also battling a forest fire in a nature reserve near Machu Picchu. The cause and extent of the fire was not known, said Nilo Chàvez, a tourism and ecology official.