Luanda — The deputy-minister of Social Welfare, Maria da Luz, admitted on Thursday that in the first half of this year there will be an increase in the vulnerability degree within the population, due to the destruction of crops by rainfalls.

Mrs da Luz was speaking at the opening act of another meeting of the Humanitarian Coordination Group, taking place in Luanda, destined for the assessment of the actions carried out by the Government, UN's agencies and humanitarian partners during the first quarter of this year, in the ambit of the appeal of transition and perspectives for the second quarter of 2004.

The vice minister remembered that the period in balance was marked by heavy rains, broken bridges and an increase in accidents caused by explosive devices, which have been hampering the humanitarian activities.

The Government official stressed that they had been receiving from the provinces, along the first quarter of this year, "worrying reports regarding the destruction of crops, special in the central Plateau region where the rains were intense.

Although there are no the necessary assessments to determine the exact extension of the damages in the provinces, the source noted that it is obvious that the devastation of the crops combined with the inaccessibility "will lead to an increase of vulnerability within the population in the first half of the current year".