River basins reach flood alert level

Maputo, 13 Jan (AIM) – The reservoir behind the Pequenos Libombos dam on the Umbeluzi river, in Maputo province, is almost completely full,  according to the Minister of Public Works, Fernando Rafael, who was making a monitoring visit to the dam on Monday.

“We have eight river basins that are now at flood alert level”, he said. “Some of the dams are reaching their maximum capacity, and so require permanent monitoring, to ensure the integrity of the dam infrastructures”,

Every major river basin in southern Mozambique is at alert level – namely the Maputo, Incomati, Limpopo, Umbeluzi and Save rivers. In the central provinces, the Zambezi and the Buzi rivers are in danger of bursting their banks. In the far north, the Rovuma river, that marks the frontier with Tanzania, is also at alert level.

Rafael said that the neighbouring countries – South Africa, Eswatini and Zimbabwe – have warned Mozambique that their upstream reservoirs are also almost 100 per cent full, which increases the risk of flooding in Mozambique.

To prevent loss of life and material damage, the government has begun controlled discharges from the major dams. Rafael claimed that the discharges will protect the integrity of the dams, but “will not significantly affect the public”.

He said that, at the Pequenos Libombos dam, only one floodgate is open, which he regarded as sufficient to keep water storage in the reservoir at a safe level.

“We have always guaranteed that the storage level does not fall below safe levels”, said Rafael.

The discharges into the Umbeluzi river were not yet enough to flood any nearby houses, he claimed.  The flow of the river was lower than that of 2023, when discharges reached 900 cubic metres a second, which did cause flooding.

“Before making any discharges, we always contact community leaders, so that the message reaches the public”, said Rafael. “Prior information is fundamental to protect lives and property”.

Meanwhile, the government is trying to repair the damage to the main north-south highway (EN1), which was cut on Sunday in the central province of Sofala.

The cut occurred at a bridge over the Muari river, in Muxanga district. The torrential rains falling since Thursday have submerged the bridge, and opened a huge crater, making traffic between the north and south of the country impossible.

Contractors were mobilised and sent at once to Muxanga to repair the damage. But the Sofala provincial delegate of the National Roads Administration (ANE), Egidio Morais, cited by the independent television station STV, warned that the repair teams are facing “extreme difficulties”, because of the continued torrential rains.

By Monday night, there was no sign that traffic could be restored any time soon. Queues of trucks and buses have built up on both sides of the cut in the road.

(AIM)

Pf/ (467)