The report, submitted to the Council of Ministers (Cabinet) on Tuesday, says that the vast majority of the deaths (93) occurred in Zambezia province. There were also 13 confirmed deaths in Niassa, eight in Cabo Delgado and three in Nampula. It does not mention the six deaths in Manica province reported by the local branch of the relief agency, the National Disaster Management Institute (INGC), on 20 January.
Some of the victims were swept to their deaths by the flood waters or by mudslides, others were killed when their houses collapsed on top of them, and still others were struck by lightning. The report does not state how many deaths were caused by each of these factors.
The number of people affected by the floods is put at 157,172. Most of these – 124,381 – are in Zambezia. As of 25 January, 50.357 people were living in 41 temporary accommodation centres – 33 of them in Zambezia and eight in Niassa.
The amount of food required for the flood victims, from 15 January until the end of the month, was estimated at 1,394 tonnes of maize flour, rice, beans, vegetable oil, salt and sugar. 1,170 tonnes were available, leaving a deficit of 224 tonnes. But up until 25 January only 83.7 tonnes of food had actually been distributed in the accommodation centres.
Victims of the Licungo flood are also facing serious water shortages. The flood severely damaged the pumping station which provides water for all of Mocuba town.
Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho do Rosario, who visited Mocuba on 22-24 January, ordered a survey of the costs involved in repairing the pumping station so as to resume the supply of clean water to Mocuba as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, tanker trucks are carrying drinking water to the accommodation centres
The storms and floods have destroyed 8,814 houses and damaged a further 10,561. 403 schools and seven health units also suffered damage.
As for agriculture, 27,838 households have suffered crop losses over an area of 33.648 hectares. Once again, Zambezia is the province worst affected, with 18.405 hectares of cultivated land swamped by the floods.
Work is under way to repair the five cuts in Zambezia along the main north-south highway. The most serious is on the south bank of the Licungo river in Mocuba town, where the raging flood waters swept away part of the bridge over the Licungo on 12 January. The Portuguese construction company Mota Engil is building a new embankment for the south end of the bridge, and hopes to finish this work by Friday.
The report was also optimistic that the electricity company, EDM, will re-establish power to the north of the country by Saturday. The Licungo flood knocked over 10 pylons on 15 kilometres of the transmission line carrying power from the Cahora Bassa dam to the northern provinces of Nampula, Niassa and Cabo Delgado.
Two metallic pylons have been placed, one on each bank of the Licungo, and all the other material – such as wooden pylons, cables and insulators – is also now in place.
Most of this equipment has been airlifted to Mocuba. The aeriel operations are being coordinated from the Zambezia provincial capital, Quelimane, and the fuel company BP has guaranteed the availability of 70,000 litres of jet fuel a day at Quelimane airport.
Post published in: Africa News