7 January 2008
Maputo — Flooding in the Zambezi valley is set to worsen, as the Cahora Bassa dam on Sunday increased its discharges into the river from 5,100 to 6,000 cubic metres a second.
The entire Zambezi, from Tete city to the river's mouth, 500 kilometres to the east, was already well above flood alert level, and there are now fears that this year's flood could be worse than the flooding of February 2007.
The Cahora Bassa operating company, HCB, was obliged to increase discharges because massive amounts of water have continued to flow into the lake behind the dam from Zambia and Zimbabwe.
All the Zambezi's main tributaries - the Shire, the Revobue and the Luenha - are also at very high levels. It thus seems inevitable that over the next few days, the situation on the lower Zambezi will worsen considerably.
The director of the Mozambican relief agency, the National Disasters Management Institute (INGC), Paulo Zucula, cited in Monday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias", declared that he wants all people still living in areas at risk in the Zambezi valley to be evacuated by 15 January.
Search and rescue operations have been stepped up along the Zambezi using motor boats to look for people trapped by the flood waters. Helicopters can also be used, if necessary. On Sunday, over 300 people were rescued from Cocorico, an area in Mopeia district on the north bank of the Zambezi, which had become completely surrounded by water.
Further east, another 5,000 people are thought to be at risk in Luabo, and low-lying areas in Chinde district.
"In the next four or five days we shall be entering the most critical; phase in the Zambezi valley", warned Zucula.
Meanwhile, the level of the Pungue river, in Sofala province, has dropped somewhat. However, water is still covering parts of the main road from Beira to Zimbabwe, between Mutua and Tica. The water is not deep enough to halt traffic, and so both trucks and light vehicles are continuing to drive through the flooded stretch of road. The authorities have decided that the situation is not yet serious enough to justify closing the road to traffic.
Most people in flood-prone parts of the Pungue valley have obeyed the calls from the Sofala provincial government to evacuate, and move to higher ground. Fishermen, however, have decided to stay, on the grounds that the floods are bringing an abundance of fish.
Two children have drowned in the Pungue flood, and a 15 year old boy is missing.
Further south, the Buzi and Save rivers are said to be "stable". Most people at risk in the small towns of Nova Mambone and Muchanga, that were flooded by the Save last week, have now been moved to safety.
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