Mozambique: More than 500 people removed from flood risk areas in Zambézia

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Mozambique: More than 500 people removed from flood risk areas in Zambézia

8:36 CAT | 17 Jan 2023

File photo: Lusa

At least 500 people have been removed from areas at risk of flooding following the rise in the flow of the Licungo river in Zambézia, central Mozambique, the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD) announced on Tuesday.

“As a result of the rise in water levels, over 500 people have been removed from lower Licungo” to safe areas, said Nelson Ludovico, INGD delegate in Zambézia, cited by the local press.

He said that there were awareness campaigns being carried out for the population to leave the risk areas in the province, adding that search and rescue teams had been positioned along the riverbanks and there were over 20 tonnes of food to attend to those affected by the storms.

Mozambique’s National Directorate of Water Resources Management (DNGRH) has warned of rising water levels in several rivers due to discharges in dams in neighbouring countries.

A total of 69 people have died, and a further 37,082 have been affected by rains, strong winds and other natural disasters in Mozambique during the current rainy season, according to a preliminary report from the INGD sent to Lusa on Monday.

The natural disasters also injured 47 people and partially or totally destroyed 2,721 homes, and flooded 3,312 others.

The bad weather also affected 2,127 schools, 40,602 students and 726 teachers, according to the INGD.

Mozambique, considered one of the countries most severely affected by climate change in the world, is in the middle of the rainy and cyclonic season, which occurs between October and April, with winds coming from the Indian Ocean and flooding from the basins of southern Africa.

In November this year, INGD announced it needed 7.4 billion meticais (€112 million) for the 2022/2023 rainy season when at least 2.2 million people are expected to be affected.

In the 2020/2021 rainy season, the country was plagued by extreme weather events highlighted by storm Chalane and cyclones Eloise and Guambe, in addition to other weeks of heavy rain and flooding.

The 2018/2019 rainy season was one of the most severe in memory in Mozambique: 714 people died, including 648 victims of Idai and Kenneth, two of the largest cyclones ever to hit the country.

Source: Lusa