The Mozambican government on 22 November approved the National Contingency Plan for the 2022-2023 rainy season, which is budgeted at 12.5 billion meticais (US$ 195 million).
The Contingency Plan is drawn up every year to respond to the risk of disasters and to mitigate impacts. The Plan also seeks to ensure coordination of humanitarian assistance to victims and rapid and effective recovery.
The plan was published by the Disaster Risk Management Institute (INGD) earlier in the month and was approved by the Council of Ministers (Cabinet) at its weekly meeting.
The plan faces a deficit of 7.4 billion meticais, which will have to be covered by foreign aid. The government spokesperson, Deputy Justice Minister Filimao Suaze, told reporters that, to implement the plan, the government is counting on its cooperation partners to mobilise funds to bridge the deficit
"Unfortunately, our country deals cyclically with this matter and we already have a consolidated experience of approaching our partners so that annually we update the information in accordance with what we obtain from the meteorological authorities", said Suaze. "There are various national and foreign bodies which collaborate with the government in mitigating the effects of disasters. There is nothing new about this".
The Council of Ministers also approved regulations on the handling of ammonium nitrate, a chemical used as fertilizer in agriculture, and as an explosive in mining and quarrying. The regulations, said Suaze, will establish the legal regime applicable to the procedures for handling, storing, transporting and using ammonium nitrate in Mozambique, taking into account the safety risks associated with this chemical. These became dramatically clear in August 2020, when about 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate exploded in the Lebanese port of Beirut, killing over 100 people, injuring more than 5,000 and causing damage valued at over US$15 billion. Investigations after the explosion suggested that a dormant London-registered company called Savaro Ltd had chartered the shipment in 2013, intending to send it from Georgia to an explosives factory in the Mozambican port of Beira.
But the ship carrying the ammonium nitrate, the "MV Rhosus", was detained in Beirut over unpaid debts and technical defects. The cargo was effectively abandoned in a warehouse for seven years until the catastrophic explosion of 2020.
