The dangers of crossing the Licungo river in Zambézia

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The dangers of crossing the Licungo river in Zambézia

2:16 CAT | 17 Jan 2022

Photo: O País

Close to 27,000 people in the villages of Vila-Valdez and Nomiua, including children, the sick and pregnant women, are exposed to danger when crossing the Licungo River to reach the district of Maganja da Costa in Zambézia. The only vessel making crossing possible, managed by a local committee, is in poor condition and leaks during the voyage.

The crossing costs five meticais, fish merchant Amílcar Pedr says. The district administrator of Maganja da Costa, Carlos Carneiro, recognises that the manner of crossing is far from optimal, and that the best solution would be to construct a bridge.

Currently, the Licungo river basin has been registering fluctuations in water level, falling from 5.95 metres last week to 5.49 metres this Sunday. In fact, the river is only 51 centimetres below alert level.

At these water levels, the administrative post of Nante, in the district of Maganja da Costa, would already be submerged and its population in a dramatic situation, as in the past, were it not for the rehabilitation of a 28.6 km dyke, with 598 million meticais of public and World Bank funds.

Last week, the National Technical Council for Disaster Management, headed by the national director of the National Institute of Meteorology, Celso Aramuge, was in Zambézia assessing the situation in light of the rainy season.

“We are in the [rainy and cyclonic] season, and the National Institute of Meteorology has already made its seasonal update for the season from December to February. Everything indicates that the La Nina phenomenon may occur, which results in rain,” Aramuge said.

As a result, Central and Northern areas may experience above-normal rainfall, except for the coastal strip in the provinces of Nampula and Cabo Delgado, he added.

The working group visited Maganja da Costa and Namacurra districts, where more than 20,000 people, in 4,500 families, are at risk, and appealed to families to be attentive and follow the authorities’ instructions.

By Jorge Marcos

Source: O País