Machu Picchu could close for up to 5 months.

Peru’s major tourist attraction, Machu Picchu, could close for 2 to 5 months due to heavy rains.

Oscar Valencia, Mayor of Machu Picchu, said Civil Defense and the National Weather Service had predicted rain would be four times as intense next year.

"There is a danger next year, Machu Picchu is likely to close for 2 to 5 months simply because there was no security work or water defense done,” he said, according to T News Peru.

He said 35 million soles were needed for infrastructure works to cope with the heavy rains, but that the municipality only had a budget of 12 million soles.

Valencia said the municipality was currently negotiating with the government, in hopes of receiving special funds to carry out the necessary infrastructure improvements.

According to Andina, David Ugarte Vega-Centeno, head of Cusco’s Regional Directorate of Culture, said previous administrations had not taken issues like public safety and emergency plans into consideration.

A group of experts from Unesco is expected to travel to Peru in January and February in order to examine the problems Machu Picchu is facing.