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Mozambique: Two People Killed By Floods in Manica
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Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo)
22 January 2008
Posted to the web 22 January 2008
Maputo
Two people, an adult and a child, drowned in the flood on the Buzi river in Machaze district, in the central Mozambican province of Manica last week, reports Tuesday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias".
The two were swept away by the strong current of the Buzi while trying to cross the river in the area of Macuacua. These two fatalities bring the total known death toll in the floods in central Mozambique to ten.
The Buzi flood has also swamped about 2,000 hectares of crops, affecting the livelihoods of about 4,000 families. According to Machaze district administrator Alice Tamele, speaking to Manica provincial governor Mauricio Vieira, who visited the district last week, this places the 2007/2008 agricultural campaign in serious jeopardy.
She added that there is no longer any road communication between Machaze and the neighbouring district of Mossurize because of the collapse of the bridge over the Mossurize river. The transport problems have pushed up the price of basic foodstuffs in Machaze. Maize, which used to cost 75 meticais (about three US dollars) for a 20 kilo tinful, has now doubled in price.
Because of the collapse of the bridge and the paralysis of the ferry service across the Lucite river, anyone who wishes to visit Mossurize from Machaze must take a huge detour via Zimbabwe.
The Mozambican Armed Forces (FADM) have stationed a boat on the Lucite at the Dombe administrative post. This boat is intended to rescue people stranded by the floods and bring them to safety.
In Dombe, the most affected area in the Manica district of Sussundenga, the floods along the Lucite have destroyed 3,439 hectares of crops, and 163 houses have been submerged, affecting 11,711 people.
In the northern part of Manica, the district of Tambara is isolated from the rest of the province because of the rise in the Muira and Casado rivers. The rise in the Muira, a tributary of the Zambezi, makes the road from Tambara to the provincial capital, Chimoio, impassable.
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Meanwhile, according to the latest bulletin from the National Water Board (DNA), the Cahora Bassa dam has increased its discharges into the Zambezi from 4,600 to 4,800 cubic metres a second.
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