Mozambique: Increasing water levels raise fears of disastrous seasonal floods
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- Mozambique
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- World Vision
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Water levels in the Mutarara section of the Zambezi river in central Mozambique are close to flood alert level raising fears of yet another humanitarian emergency.
Mutarara, located in Tete province, bore the brunt of two consecutive years of severe flooding. Dozens of people were killed and more than 85,000 people were displaced from a total 209,360 district inhabitants as a result of the floods.
World Vision Humanitarian and Emergency Affairs Manager Moussa Sangara says, "The water levels in Mutarara this morning were only 50 centimeters short of the five meter alert level."
Mitigation measures are being introduced, one of which is the decision by the authorities upstream at Cahora Bassa dam to decrease its discharges. Further down, however, in Caia, the water levels have already passed alert levels and access by road to some areas has been cut off. Reports from the ground suggest that the situation could worsen considerably if it continues to rain.
World Vision is at present working closely with the government and other partners to jointly monitor the situation as it evolves while preparedness and response mechanisms are put in place.
In related news, Mozambique government's Technical Secretariat for Food Security and Nutrition has announced that the number of people in need of food aid has risen to 450,000. The figure includes people still reeling from the effects of last year's flooding in central Mozambique and 150 000 that have now been identified as suffering from 'acute' needs due to drought in the south of Mozambique.