13 November 2009
Maputo — The Danish Development Agency (DANIDA) has pledged about six million Euros (8.9 million US dollars) to rehabilitate the airport of Quelimane, capital of the central Mozambican province of Zambezia.
This work will include building a fence around the airport, and installing aids to navigation such as a new communications system, runway lighting, and an emergency generator.
The director of the Quelimane branch of the Mozambican Airport Company, ADM, Joaquim Cachaco, cited in Friday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias" said the runway will be resealed, a water reservoir will be built, and the company will also purchase a fire fighting vehicle.
Because of the lack of fencing, residents in the surrounding areas have been invading the airport premises to cultivate fields near the runway, which endangers the planes on take-off and landing.
Birds that come to eat the grain produced in these illegal fields also present a danger to aircraft.
Another problem is that these farmers often burn vegetation to clear their fields, and the resulting smoke poses difficulties to planes because of poor visibility.
This has been going on for many years, and peasant farmers seem quite unaware of the dangers to which they are exposing themselves and aircraft passengers. Because of the seriousness of the situation the airport authorities have been holding meetings with the Zambezia provincial governments and with officials from the local neighbourhoods to try and persuade the residents not to grow crops on the airport premises.
However, the farmers have been reluctant to leave. Repeatedly, they promise to go, but then say they need time to harvest what they have planted. Then, instead of leaving, they plant again.
The airport authorities have occasionally seized hoes and other equipment from the farmers, but even this has not persuaded them to leave.
During the war of destabilization, many people fled from the countryside to seek refuge in Quelimane, built houses near the airport, and started cultivating fields beside the runway. One of the farmers, Amina Tome, said that during the war, the government authorities allowed them to work those fields.
She admitted that there have been talks with ADM, but argued that many people will not leave because they do not have an alternative way to make a living.
It is not clear whether a fence around the 803 hectares that constitute the airport space will make a difference, if the local ADM management refuses to use force to expel these unwanted tenants.
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