Water supply restored in Beira – AIM report

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Water supply restored in Beira – AIM report

9:34 CAT | 25 Mar 2019

Photo: Social Media

The Mozambican government’s Water Supply Investment and Assets Fund (FIPAG) re-established on Friday the establishment of the water service in the cyclone devastated city of Beira, and the nearby town of Dondo.

The Beira electricity and water supplies were knocked out when Cyclone Idai hit the city on 14 March.

The restoration of the water supply is at very low levels. A statement from FIPAG warned that the levels of water in the city’s deposits are minimal, and that the distribution network is empty. Thus the system will suffer from low water pressure until water supply is stabilised.

Some electricity from the national grid is also now available. The priority in re-establishing power went to Beira Central Hospital, which had been using generators since the cyclone hit.

But restoring power to the entire city will take a long time, since the storm knocked down dozens of pylons.

Outside the city, public works teams have been working round the clock to repair the main road from Beira to Zimbabwe. The flooding brought by the cyclone cut the road in four places, making it impossible for vehicles to reach Beira.

This road was recently rehabilitated, but it seems that the contractor neglected to install enough culverts to ensure the diversion of storm waters.

While it remains impossible to reach the city by road, relief supplies must reach Beira by air or by ship.

A ship laden with some 70 containers of relief goods left Maputo for Beira on Saturday. The ship is carrying about 14,000 tonnes of non-perishable foodstuffs, clothing, blankets, personal hygiene products and domestic utensils.

A solidarity movement had sprung up in Maputo over the previous week. Calling itself “United for Beira” it mobilised donations from individual and companies, and volunteers to pack the donated goods into the containers.

Source: AIM