OWN CORRESPONDENT, Maputo | Wednesday 1.30pm.
NEW flood damage to a key artery in central Mozambique has prevented the delivery by truck of emergency food aid.
“Major rains have caused two breaks on the main road between Beira and Save, a lifeline for trade and commerce,” said Abby Spring, a World Food Programme spokeswoman on Wednesday.
“Two WFP trucks and a bus with 30 people got stuck as water levels rose. Helicopters were (Tuesday) planning to remove 30 people aboard the bus and to pick up the aid on the trucks,” said Spring.
A separate WFP convoy from Beira to the south of the country also had to be cancelled because of the damage to the roads, which is expected to take eight to 10 days to repair.
The airport at the port city of Beira has become, after the capital Maputo, the second major operational base for a massive international relief operation in Mozambique.
While helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft from Malawi, Germany, Britain, the United States and South Africa are involved in the Beira operation, much relief has in recent days begun to be delivered by road to affected areas, as this option provides a more efficient use of available resources and frees up air capacity for other work.
“Our first priority is now to repair this road,” said Spring.
She added that some 109 tonnes of food aid, enough for eight to 10 days had been pre-positioned in Save.
Floods and subsequent cyclones destroyed crops and harvested grain in most affected areas of Mozambique. — AFP