New Mozambique Flood Warning

Mozambique floods rise again: ActionAid calls for national plan to prevent hunger later in year

Mozambique could face a massive food crisis later in the year unless action is taken to support farmers hit by the continuing floods, the international anti-poverty charity ActionAid said today.

Felipe Pequenino, who is managing ActionAid's emergency operations in Mutarara and Chemba districts, said: "With so many people having their fields destroyed and losing their livestock, an ambitious national plan must be quickly set up to help the 182,000 affected farmers to recover, if we are to avoid a massive food crisis this year."

Alberto Silva, director of ActionAid in Mozambique, said: "Water levels in the Zambezi valley have risen again, in some places to more than 7 metres, the peak they reached on 10 January. The Limpopo river in the south has also started to rise.

"Heavy rains are forecast to continue for the rest of the week in Malawi,
Zambia and Zimbabwe. If the waters continue to rise, these floods could affect even more people than in 2000."

In Mutarara district ActionAid has begun evacuating a further 1500 people from the village of Cocha'a, where the total number needing evacuation could reach 5000 within one or two days.

In the district of Mangaja da Costa, ActionAid staff are continuing to work with local authorities to support around 6000 people they earlier evacuated to resettlement camps.

Local committees set up by ActionAid with the national government emergencies department (INGC) are supporting over 5500 people they evacuated from the village of Chirembwe.

The committees are continuing to distribute tarpaulins for shelter, and soap to protect vulnerable people, especially women and children, from the risk of disease.

The committees use radio to tell communities about the forecasts and encourage them to prepare for evacuation if necessary.

After recent heavy rains many resettlement camps can be reached only by boat or helicopter, slowing the work of government and aid workers.

ENDS

Notesors:

The figures used in this release are the official ones presented by the government technical national food security secretariat (SETSAN) at the
national government emergencies department (INGC) briefing on 28 January.

ActionAid works in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas to fight global poverty and tackle the injustices that cause it.
www.actionaid.org.uk