Maputo — Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi on Tuesday announced the immediate disbursement of 10 million US dollars for post-flood reconstruction activities.
Nyusi was addressing the nation on the floods crisis, after overflying the worst affected áreas, in the Umbeluzi and Incomati river basins, in Manhica, Boane, Magude, Namaacha and Moamba districts, all in Maputo province.
The number of people affected by the storms and flooding in Maputo city and province, is now put at over 39,000. 306 schools were affected, some so badly that they cannot function at all. As a result 118,000 pupils are unable to study.
11 schools have been turned into temporary accommodation centres for flood victims.
The storms knocked down electricity pylons, and swamped transformer posts. 18,500 electricity consumers were plunged into darkness.
As for agriculture, 6,645 hectares of assorted crops were inundated, affecting about 30,000 households.
Nyusi said the government hás drawn up a "Joint Response Plan" to provide food for over 53,000 people in the next seven days. Clean drinking water will also be provided.
The government hás decided to place technical brigades of the National Roads Administration (ANE) at key positions, with the task of ensuring basic conditions so that traffic can keep moving along the roads.
"We shall carry out a survey of the damage and losses", said Nyusi, "in order to repair the affected infrastructures, and normalise the water supply".
The government will distribute seeds to the households affected by the floods so that they can plant for the second sowings of this agricultural year. Access to credit for commercial farmers is being negotiated with the banks.
Duly identified residents of the worst hit area, the municipality of Boane, will benefit from a 50 per cent reduction in public transport fare for the next three months.
Dt/pf (307) 48223E WFP SENDS HELICOPTER TO MONITOR FLOODS
Maputo, 15 Feb (AIM) - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has made a helicopter available to monitor the flooded areas in Maputo province, where an estimated 39,000 people have been affected by floods in the Umbeuzi and Incomati river basins.
Speaking to reporters in Manhica district, some 80 kilometres north of the capital, Luisa Meque, the chairperson of the Mozambican relief agency, the National Disaster Management Instiutute (INGD), said the helicopter was already in operation.
The WFP, she said, had made the helicopter available to monitor the flooded areas in Maputo province - but, if necessary, it could be used in other parts of the country.
Meque recognised the support for flood victims provided by civil society organisations. "There's a very strong movement in Maputo province, supporting the victims", she said. "We hope people will continue this solidarity".
Meque said that, in the accommodation centres for flood victims run by the INGD, there are mobile clinics, and technical staff from the electricity company, EDM, and from the government's Water Supply Investment and Assets Fund (FIPAG). "We have a very large group, with people participating from all sectors", she said.
As for the impact of the floods on Manica, the district administrator, Maria Fernanda, said that, of the 256,000 people living in the district, only 524 needed to be rescued from the flood waters and resettled.
They were all healthy, she said, including three pregnant women, "who are fully assisted".
Fernanda added that members of the Mozambican armed forces (FADM) are carrying out search and rescue operations in all corners of the district, but so far they had found no groups of people isolated by the flood waters of the Incomati.
The known death toll from the floods is seven, and about 3,500 houses have been inundated.
Pf/ (303) 49223E THREE CASES OF CHOLERA IN TAMBARA
Chimoio (Mozambique), 15 Feb (AIM) - The central Mozambican province of Manica hás recorded thre cases of cholera, after 11 years in which Manica was cholera free.
The three cases were diagnosed in Tambara district, in the north of the province. Tambara borders on Tete province which has been fighting an outbreak of cholera, believed to have been imported from Malawi.
The director of the Manica provincial health services, Xavier Izidoro, confirmed the three cases on Tuesday and said the health authorities are working to prevent the disease from spreading to other parts of Manica.
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"We have other cases of diarrhoea", Izidoro said, "and we are working to see whether these are cholera or not. Laboratory analysis has not yet confirmed other cases of cholera beyond these first three". None of the three confirmed cases has died.
"Cholera has been diagnosed in the neighbouring provinces of Tete and Sofala. This puts us on a situation of maximum alert", he stressed. "We are prepared. We don't want our province to record any more cases of the disease".
A contingency plan has been drawn up for cholera prevention throughout the province. "In all health units in the province medical equipment is available to deal with any case related with cholera. We have medicines available too. So we can say that we are prepared", declared Izidoro.
In Chimoio city, a centre has already been installed to treat all diarrhoeal diseases. "There are health professionals prepared to respond to any outbreak which might occur in our province", he added.
"We have been moitoring all cases of diarhoea registered in Manica", continued Izidoro. "So far, everything is calm. But i tis important that we pay attention to avoid the occurrence of cholera".
