Rio Licungo
Maputo, 19 Mar (AIM) – Mozambique’s National Directorate of Water Resource Management (DNGRH) has warned of a risk of flooding in the next 48 hours in the basins of the Licungo and Revobue rivers, in the central province of Zambezia
The levels of both rivers have risen significantly due to recent heavy rains in central Mozambique.
The places most at risk include low lying areas in the Zambezia districts of Mocuba, Namacurra, Maganja da Costa, and the Tete district of Moatize.
The DNRGH has recommended immediate preventive measures, calling on people in flood-prone areas to move to higher ground, to avoid any attempt to cross the swollen rivers, and to remove equipment such as pumps.
After a visit to the bridge over the Revobue, the Secretary of State for Zambezia, Cristina Mafumo, confirmed that the river is now above flood alert level. Alert level is five metres, and the river is now six metres high.
“Precautionary measures are needed to avoid disaster”, said Mafumo. “We have already begun to evacuate people living beside the river”.
In neighbouring Tete province, the Zambezi river is reaching alert level. Some roads in the Zambezi valley have been inundated and are now impassable.
Further south, the Save river, which marks the conventional boundary between southern and central Mozambique, has burst its banks, flooding the town of Vila Mambone, in Govuro district, Inhambane province, and parts of Machanga district, in Sofala.
The Govuro district administrator, Natalia Chivambo, told reporters that the local Disaster Risk Management Committees are active in the flood-prone areas, urging households to move to higher ground. She warned that, if people did not evacuate voluntarily, coercion will be used to move them.
Accommodation centres have been set up for the flood victims and Chivambo guaranteed that food and hygiene products are available there, and are enough to last for a week.
Flood alert level at Vila Franca do Save is 6.3 metres, but here the river was measured at 6.63 metres on Wednesday morning.
(AIM)
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