Floods hit Central Mozambique

FLOODS HIT CENTRAL MOZAMBIQUE
AND WATER IS STILL RISING by Joseph Hanlon

Heavy rain in Mozambique and neighbouring Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi has flooded the major rivers in the centre of the country – the Zambeze, the Pungue and Buzi in Sofala province, and the Save which traditionally marks the border between central and southern Mozambique.

At least four people have died so far in the floods on the Pungue and Buzi rivers, and 54,000 people have been displaced. On the Save 3500 people have been displaced. Many roads in Sofala province are impassable.

On the Zambeze, increasing amounts of water are flowing into the Cahora Bassa dam, which in turn has increased its releases from 5100 cubic metres a second a week ago to 6600 cubic metres of water a second now, and discharges are likely to reach 8,000. An estimated 63,000 people have being evacuated from low ground near the river and from river islands, which are expected to be submerged soon. Low lying parts of Tete city are inundated, with the patios and kitchens of some restaurants beside the river bank under water.

The rail line from the northern port of Nacala to Malawi was reopened to traffic last week, after a six day interruption caused when heavy rains washed away an embankment in the district of Nampula-Rapale, leaving the railway line dangling in mid-air.

CAN DISASTER TOURISM
BE AVOIDED?

The aid industry is circling Mozambique like vultures. On 4 January Oxfam International said: “Answering a call for help from the Mozambican government, aid agency Oxfam International today dispatched emergency staff to flood-hit areas”. http://www.oxfam.org/en/news/2008/pr080104_mozambique_floods_health_crisis_alert

In fact, the government is explicitly refusing to issue an emergency appeal, and is insisting on using local resources first. The same thing happened last year, with the government initially able to cope but donors pushing government for an appeal that they could use as a basis for fund-raising. The Mozambican Red Cross (CVM) has said it will make an appeal for international support only if this years floods become worse than those of February 2007.

The government is working with a group of agencies which are long term resident in Mozambique and which already have working relations with government ministries, including the World Food Programme, UNICEF, MSF, Save the Children, and Oxfam, which are providing staff and other support for food, water and sanitation, according to INGC head Joao Roibeiro, reported in Noticias this morning (14 Jan). But there has been no “call for help”.

Indeed, the National Disasters Management Institute (INGC), under the dynamic leadership of Paulo Zucula, who was named to the job a year ago, seems to have the resources to cope with the present level of flooding, which is quite normal for Mozambique.

What is, however, very worrying is that the rainy season started relatively early. Indeed, Mozambique had originally scheduled elections for later this week, 16 January, on the assumption that most parts of the country would still be accessible by road. But the rains have been heavy, and flooding is occurring earlier than normal, so if rains continue to be heavy over the next few weeks, the flooding could become quite serious.

In last year’s much worse floods in the Zambeze valley, the government repeatedly told international donors and NGOs that there will be no international appeal for aid. In particular, NGOs and other donors were discouraged from flying in staff and goods, and instead asked to give money to buy fuel and pay other working costs. The INGC under Zucula won high praise from donors and the UN. As is happening this year, Zucula worked with NGOs which are already in Mozambique. Last year, disaster tourism became a serious problem, with a flood of international NGOs and Mozambican politicians who needed to be seen to be “helping” and have their pictures taken in accommodation centres. Mozambican media talked of “calamity Janes” and vampires causing disruption rather than helping, and the only people who seemed to be benefiting were local business people who provided beds and food to the tourists.