MAPUTO RIVER ABOVE FLOOD ALERT LEVEL
Maputo, 15 Dec (AIM) – Mozambique’s Southern Regional Water Board (ARA-Sul) on Thursday warned that the Maputo river, near the border with South Africa, has risen beyond flood alert level.
Agricultural fields near the banks of the river have been inundated, and the waters have cut the road between the Catuane administrative post and the Madubula locality.
The situation is not unexpected, since weeks ago the South African authorities had warned that they would increase discharges from the Pongolapoort dam, in order to create greater storage capacity in the dam reservoir which might be needed later in the rainy season.
This, plus heavy rains in South Africa and Eswatini, had caused the Maputo river to break its banks on the Mozambican side of the border.
ARA-Sul urged people living in the river basin to take precautions when crossing the river, particularly in the Catuane and Mudubula areas. They should also pay attention to all information on the state of the river issued by the relevant authorities.
(AIM)
Pf/ (172)