More than one million people may be affected by floods in Mozambique – Govt

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More than one million people may be affected by floods in Mozambique – Govt

12:36 CAT | 12 Oct 2016

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A total of 1.35 million people in the provinces of Niassa, Cabo Delgado, Nampula, Tete and Zambezia could be affected by floods in the first quarter of 2017, according to the contingency plan approved yesterday by the Council of Ministers.

According to Deputy Minister of Health Mouzinho Saide, three scenarios are possible during the rainy season, the second being the most.

The first scenario concerns the threat of small, localised cyclones with strong winds and localized flooding in villages and cities affecting among the most vulnerable. About 714,000 could be affected across the country.

The second scenario is the combination of the first and additional threats such as the risk of flooding in river basins. According to Saide, this is more likely to happen and could affect about 1.35 million people.

The third scenario is the combination of the first two, plus the likelihood of cyclones and earthquakes, affecting 1.37 million people, mainly in the provinces of Cabo Delgado, Nampula, Zambezia, Sofala and Inhambane.

In budgetary terms, the first scenario would be cost around 597 million meticais, the second, 810 million meticais and the third, 930 million meticais.

The Government has approved a contingency plan for the second scenario valued at 810 million meticais, of which 160 million meticais is so far available in the state budget .Saide said that the executive was already mobilizing means and resources through the participation of cooperation partners to make up the shortfall.

“The national contingency plan was developed in a participatory manner at the decentralised level, beginning with community involvement and culminating in approval by the Council of Ministers,” Saíde said

Yesterday’s Council of Ministers session also considered the emergency situation of the last three weeks, with winds of up to 80 km/h and moderate rainfall in central and southern areas which resulted in the destruction of economic and social infrastructure.

A donation of 10 tons of rice was received from the Chinese People’s Republic to help victims of drought-related food insecurity during the same period. The government also acquired three mobile platforms to help reestablish road communications in flood-affected areas.

The Council of Ministers also approved a resolution ratifying agreements between the Government and the Association for International Development (IDA) signed last August involving US$14 million to finance agricultural and natural resource management projects.

Source: Diario de Moçambique