Mozambique homes isolated by rising water levels

At least 1 000 families have had no communication with the outside world since last Thursday after their homes became isolated by rising water levels in the flood-hit province of Mozambican Manica, state radio reported on Wednesday.

Radio Mozambique said the families living in Mozambique’s central districts of Mossurize and Tambara were isolated after roads and bridges linking them to other parts of the country were washed away in flash floods last week.

Manica provincial governor Maurice Viera said that intense rains that fell in the province had resulted in the displacement of more than 900 families—mainly in the Dombe and Sussundenga districts west of the province along the Zimbabwean border.

He also said fields had been washed away and farmers had lost several hectares of crops.

Meanwhile, the daily, Noticias, reported on Wednesday that the flooding had worsened in the areas around the Save River in central Mozambique, where the level of the river had risen past the alert level of 5,5m by more than 2m.

The paper said the level on the Save River was 7,45m by late on Tuesday.

The residents of the districts of Govuro and Machanga were living in danger as water levels threatened to sweep their homes and fields away.

More than 4 000 lives countrywide were in danger from the rising water.

The situation was, however, being monitored through the use of a helicopter.

Areas in the lower basin of the Save River have been severely washed away.—Sapa