OWN CORRESPONDENT, Maputo | Wednesday
FLOOD victims in central Mozambique are being plucked from treetops as at least two large settlements were swallowed by the Zambezi river this week, sparking emergency operations to evacuate people from affected areas.
The Jardim and Chirembwe settlements in the Mutarara locality of Inhangome were reported to be under water. Three children in Inhangome are said to be missing, and in Mocubela in the central coastal Zambezia province, a child died when a wall collapsed under pressure of the rains.
“The situation in Mutarara is serious,” said Silvano Langa, director of the National Disaster Management Institute (INGC). “There are many isolated zones, and taking relief supplies there by helicopter is difficult because there are many such zones.”
The Tete provincial INGC delegate, Josxe Silvestre, said the floodwaters had reached parts of Inhangome that had previously been regarded as safe.
“We are giving top priority to rescuing people,” he added.
Downstream from the Cahora Bassa dam, where it continued to rain heavily, tributaries such as the Revobue, Luenha and Ncombedzi rivers were funnelling their waters into the Zambezi. In the Manica province, just south of Tete, the district of Tambara was now isolated from the rest of the country after the waters of the Muira river, another tributary of the Zambezi, cut off access roads to Tambara.
Authorities in Manica said they would open the floodgates of the Chicmba dam. The dam is on the Revue river, which flows into the Buzi, one of the rivers that caused misery during floods a year ago that killed about 700 people and caused millions of dollars in damage.
The situation was also critical on the Pungue river, which was at 7.2 metres Monday, 20 centimetres higher than flood stage, at the hydrometric station about 50km west of Beira. A major flood on the Pungue would cut the road from Beira to Zimbabwe. Meanwhile, the managers of the Hydro-electric of Cahora Bassa (HCM) dam in Tete have suggested a gradual reduction of water discharges to lessen the impact of the floods on the Zambezi valley. If approved by the National Water Directorate, the reductions would occur in intervals from Tuesday to Thursday.
Meanwhile, the World Food Programme said more than 3_000 tons of foodstuffs were available for the flood victims in central Mozambique.
ZA*NOW
New flood threat for battered Mozambique December 31, 2000
Flood-damage hampers aid delivery March 15, 2000
Plans take shape for Mozambique’s recovery March 14, 2000
South African pilots heroes of Mozambican floods March 8, 2000
Link to stories on the recent flooding in southern Africa March 2, 2000