Floods Carried Away 30 Motor Pumps In Massingir

Maputo, 13 Apr (AIM) – The Mozambican relief agency, the National Disasters Management Institute (INGD), on Wednesday, announced that 30 motor pumps were lost during February’s floods in Massingir district, in the southern province of Gaza.

Accordin to Radio Mozambique, this was due to farmers’ failure to heed warnings from the authorities to remove pumps and other equipment from flood prone areas.

The INGD Gaza spokesperson, Bonifacio Cardoso, warned that the loss of the pumps could have an impact on the production of foodstuffs, particularly vegetables.

However, Massingir is an exception. Elsewhere in Gaza, producers reacted in good time to the warning of the impending floods, and removed their equipment.

“Fortunately, in almost all districts we managed to guarantee that the communities removed their equipment, with the exception of the 30 motor pumps that were submerged in Massingir”, said Cardoso.

The February flood in Massingir was caused by increased discharges from the Massingir dam on the Elephants River, a major tributary of the Limpopo. The flooding swamped about 30 hectares of cropland.
(AIM)
Fg/pf