Maputo, Mozambique — Traffic has been interrupted on the road linking the Mozambican port city of Beira to Zimbabwe, for the third time in a month, because of a new increase in the level of the Pungue river.

The river swept over the stretch of the highway between Mutua and Tica, about 60 kilometres west of Beira, on Thursday morning. Emergency repairs had been carried out, and the road reopened to traffic just three days earlier.

With the renewed flooding, the road suffered further damage, putting all traffic at risk.

The provincial directorate of public works in Sofala province says that lifting this temporary ban on traffic between Mutua and Tica depend on the level of the river.

Meanwhile, the Central Water Board reported that heavy rains have been falling in the basins of the Pungue and Buzi rivers since Wednesday, which is likely to worsen the situation on the road.

In Zambezia province, the main road to the town of Milange on the Malawian border has been reopened, reports Friday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias".

Traffic on the stretch between Munhiba and Milange had been banned for the previous three weeks. Now the road is open for vehicles of up to 20 tonnes.

This road had been used to move supplies to the Zambezia provincial capital, Quelimane. The ban on traffic led to price rises in Quelimane.