Rains hit Maputo and Matola cities

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Rains hit Maputo and Matola cities

1:51 CAT | 26 Jan 2018

Notícias

The rain that fell in Maputo and Matola early yesterday left scenes of chaos, changing the routine of thousands of people forced to head off to the defence of their flooded houses, Notícias reports

Torrential rain caused erosion, especially in the two cities’ outlying neighbourhoods. Downed walls, poles and trees felled by the downpour, landslides, access roads cut and dozens of flooded homes were commonplace.

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The precipitation, which began at 3:00 am, totalled 118.9 mm at the Estação do Aeroporto, and 32.2 mm at the National Meteorological Institute (INAM), meteorologist Lelo Tayob said.

Tayob said the rain was caused by a system of low pressure coupled with a rise in temperature. Rain also fell in a part of Gaza province.

“This rainfall was expected, considering that it had been warming up in the last few days. From today afternoon (yesterday), there will be a substantial improvement of the weather, but we will continue to experience high temperatures,” he explained.

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As a consequence of the rains, the boundary wall of the Directorate of Customs Audit, Investigation and Intelligence collapsed, knocking down a lamppost. A landslide on the Avenida das Nações Unidas opened a huge crater next to the Gare de Triagem.

In the Mahotas neighbourhood, the landslide in one of the streets that crosses the Dom Alexande Av. blocked the railway line, affecting trains in the Limpopo line. Yesterday morning, Maputo municipality teams were removing silt from ditches to restore normal traffic circulation on the roads.

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Floods forced families in the Fomento, Liberdade and Lequeleva neighbourhoods to take refuge in friends’ houses. Those with nowhere to go, such as Beatriz Sitoe from Fomento, were forced to share their backyards with the flood water, or even hire private services to clean up their yards.

The heavy rain affected other sectors too. Lack of transport in the early hours meant many city residents arrived at work late.

Source: Notícias