Maputo — Flooding in the Pungue valley, in the central Mozambican province of Sofala, is now threatening to cut the main road from Beira to Zimbabwe.

On Wednesday, Luis Pacheco, the Sofala provincial delegate of the country's relief agency, the National Disaster Management Institute (INGC), told reporters that the waters of the Pungue were still rising, and the river could, at any moment, burst its banks, and spill onto the road, on the stretch between Mafambisse and Tica.

Cited in Thursday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias", Pacheco said contacts are under way with companies and public institutions to ensure that, if the road does become impassable, vehicles and people can be carried by train across the flooded area.

The level of the Zambezi is also rising, and the Cahora Bassa dam has been forced to increase its discharges. These rose from 1,800 to 2,150 cubic metres a second and then, on Wednesday to 2,486 cubic metres a second. This is certain to worsen flooding on the lower Zambezi.

The number of people directly affected by flooding in Sofala province, mainly in the Pungue and Buzi basins, has now reached 2,000. Some families in Nhamatanda district have rejected the authorities' advice to move to higher ground, and are refusing to abandon their property and their livestock.

Cited in Thursday's issue of the independent daily "O Pais", Clara Pugas, head of the Tica Administrative Post, the area most affected, said she understood the concerns of these families, "but right now there is nothing to be done except to abandon those goods that cannot be carried on boats, and move to safer areas".

She warned that those who refused to leave the dangerous areas might be rescued coercively.

Buzi district remains cut off by roads, and the Buzi river has inundated much of Buzi town. At least five houses in the town have been swept away by the flood waters.