Tens of thousands of Mozambicans face displacement as waters in a key dam on the Zambezi River reach critical levels, an aid agency warned on Friday.
Cahora Bassa Dam on the upper Zambezi is almost full, leading to expectations that the discharge of water will have to be stepped up in the coming days, Oxfam said.
Such a move could lead to the displacement of between 50 000 and 300 000 people in the flood plain, Oxfam and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warned.
The Zambezi River basin is currently on red alert and the National Institute for Disaster Management is lobbying government to declare a national emergency.
Small-scale evacuations have already begun and the government has urged thousands of residents near rivers to move to higher ground, but South African radio reported that many people were reluctant to leave their homes.
Mozambique’s central region, through which the Zambezi and its tributaries flow, is the worst affected.
So far, at least 30 people have died in four weeks of flooding and thousands of homes have been destroyed. With the rainy season yet to peak it is feared the situation could further deteriorate.
Heavy rains have also caused widespread destruction in Angola, Malawi and Zambia.
In Angola, at least 114 people have died, 28 000 have been left homeless and nearly 4 000 cholera cases have been reported since January, Oxfam reported. — Sapa-dpa