Maputo — Torrential rains in central Mozambique have raised the level of the Zambezi river, threatening to cut the road linking the districts of Caia and Chemba, in Sofala province.
The Caia district director of planning, Beta Silva, told reporters that the local government is trying to improve the condition of the roads to allow vehicles to pass.
Flooding in Chemba has led to the displacement of around 500 people, whom the authorities are now moving to higher ground. The Chemba district administrator, Bento Zeca, said extensive areas of agricultural land have been inundated which could compromise this year's harvest.
Further west, the heavy rains have raised the level of the Luia river in Chifunde district, in Tete province. The raging waters swept two people to their deaths, and three others are said to be missing.
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Some of those affected by the Chifunde floodings are now accommodated in the Matundo Industrial Institute. Luisa Meque, chairperson of the Mozambican relief agency, the Disaster Risk Management Institute (INGD), called for the improvement of the sanitary conditions in this accommodation centre, to avoid the spread of water-borne diseases.
236 houses in Chifunde have been destroyed, and a further 47 were inundated. Two schools in the district have been damaged.
The Central Regional Water Board (ARA-Centro) has warned of the imminent risk of flooding on the Lower Zambezi, resulting from an increase flow of storm water from Malawi. This could compromise further road traffic in the Zambezi valley, making access difficult to districts near the banks of the river.
