Tropical depression emergency costs more than State Budget allocation for all rainy season in Mozambique – A Verdade

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Tropical depression emergency costs more than State Budget allocation for all rainy season in Mozambique – A Verdade

2:27 CAT | 26 Jan 2018

A Verdade

Three hundred and seven million meticais [US$5.18 million] were needed to address the impact of the tropical depression that displaced more than 78,000 people, killed at least seven and left 17 roads in the provinces of Nampula, Cabo Delgado and Niassa impassable. But the government only allocated 162 million in the State Budget for the whole of the rainy season and is asking International Cooperation Partners – the ones that have been proclaimed unnecessary for our survival – for at least 900 million meticais, @Verdade reports.

The tropical depression that hit the northern region of our country between 15 and 19 January affected 78,569 citizens, according to a report by the Coordinating Council for Disaster Management presented on Monday (22) in Maputo. At least seven people lost their lives, 8,506 had their houses partially destroyed and 5,743 completely so. A preliminary balance also indicates that 378 classrooms have been partially destroyed as well as eight health units.

Mapa do CENOE

Nampula was the hardest-hit province, where, in addition to the affected and destroyed infrastructure, about 200 hectares of diverse crops were devastated and 135 electric power poles brought down.

Also left impassable were the R689 (between Monapo-Quixaxe), R697 (between Nacaroa-Memba), R695 (between Mecuburi-Muite), R687 (between Meconta-Corrane), R699 ( between Naguema-Chocas Mar), R701 (between Mossuril-Matibane), N104 (between Nametil-Angoche), R698 (between Quixaxe-Liupo) also the R687 (Namige-Liupo).

“In general, from a preliminary assessment of damages by sector in the Nampula province districts affected by the passage of the tropical depression, there is a need for immediate mobilisation of 120,595,618.75 meticais for the replacement of damaged infrastructure” said Minister Carlos Bonete in his presentation to the body chaired by the prime minister of Mozambique, adding that two temporary centres were being set up in Intente and Naguem to accommodate 1,900 more vulnerable people.

Mapa do CENOE

Replenishment of damaged infrastructure in the north will cost MZN 307 million

In the province of Cabo Delgado, 2,451 hectares of arable land are reported lost, 15 electricity poles have been damaged and roads R767 (connecting village 19 de Outubro, in Quissanga – Mahate), R698 (linking Montepuêz-Namuno), R698 (linking Montepuêz-Nairoto), R762 (linking Metuge-Quissanga) and R760 (Mecufi-Mazeze) are impassable.

Further north, in Niassa, nine classrooms were completely destroyed and the road connections between Lichinga and Meponda, Unangoa and Madjedje and Mavago and Matondovela were interrupted.

Carlos Bonete, Minister of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources, revealed that “the estimated value for the immediate replacement of damaged infrastructure in the provinces of Nampula, Cabo Delgado and Niassa, is 307,268,459 meticais”, but the executive has only 162 million meticais allocated in the State Budget, as @Verdade has revealed.

Mapa do CENOE

A solution, according to the official, is to ask international cooperation partners not only the amount for the current emergency but also the more than 900 million meticais needed to cover the deficit in the overall contingency plan, whose costs are budgeted at just over 1 billion meticais.

Meanwhile, the rainy season, which has affected more than 100,000 Mozambicans and caused the deaths of at least 21 people, is still far from over, and more heavy rains are forecast for central and northern Mozambique.

While the INGC has done a good job preventing and minimising suffering, it is regrettable that it has to fly in non-governmental organisation aid when the government to which it belongs has recently spent 560 million meticais buying a luxury jet.

That amount would be much better spent on emergency response during the rainy season.

Mapa do CENOE