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The director of Mozambique’s Limpopo Basin Management Unit, Edgar Chongo, says his department will forcibly evacuate farmers who have defied calls to leave areas at risk of flooding. Speaking on Saturday, Chongo said the measure is necessary because water waves may hit the districts of Chókwè and Guijá, southern Gaza province, this weekend, and cause flooding in fields on the banks of the Limpopo River.
“It is anticipated that in the next 48 hours (counting from today Saturday), this wave will reach Chókwè and Guijá and within 72 hours will be felt in Cicacate, and our forecast is that small floods may occur in the farms that are very close to the riverbed, “Chongo said.
The official issued an alert to farmers to remove the agricultural machineries near the river and called on the population to avoid crossing this watercourse due to strong water currents.
“It is a situation that, as a district, we already had with it, from the moment the forecasts indicated that there would be rains, which is why we are cautious. We have given medicines to Pafuri hospital to make sure there are no drugs missing, “he said.
Chongo calls on the National Road Administration (ANE) to build a bridge over the Limpopo and Mwenezi rivers to ensure a permanent and safe connection between the district headquarters and Pafuri.
Concerning the food security of the isolated population, the official said there were no reasons for alarm yet, as there were precautions in place, considering that this phenomenon has occurred annually.
Floods in the southern African country have already cost at least 50 lives and destroyed homes, livestock and crops.
The government says 92,000 people have been rescued.
Mozambique said early this month that 200,000 were at risk.
The United Nations has said the current floods in Mozambique could be worse than those of 2000-2001, which caused the deaths of 000 people and displaced half a million others before forcing the government to appeal for $500 million from the international community for post-flood reconstruction efforts.
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