'Situation of catastrophe'

A week on, the President prepares to address flooding in the south

Good afternoon. President Filipe Nyusi is to address the nation this evening, and a note from his office says it comes “following the situation of emergency that the country in general is facing, and in particular the city and province of Maputo.”

It has taken Nyusi a week to address the flooding in the south of the country, which may be now getting under control, though rivers and dams remain close to overflowing in many areas.

He has faced severe criticism on social media for his apparent lack of solidarity with flood victims in Maputo province, particularly in Boane. The criticism has been sharpened by a perceived lack of response from the disaster management institute INGD, too.

Nyusi will deliver his statement from his office in Maputo, too, rather than getting his feet wet alongside the many volunteers who have stepped in to rescue and provide accommodation and food for the victims of the floods.

An ironic twist is that now many people, especially in Matola, have no access to drinking water. The Pequenos Libombos dam which serves the greater Maputo area has been so inundated with water along the Umbeluzi river that it has been unable to operate. Our photographer saw people queuing this morning in Matola to buy potable water from a private company:

Photo © Faizal Chauque / Zitamar News

However, Aguas de Maputo has promised that water supply is returning today. And they have placed 5,000L plastic tanks as an interim measure to provide water to populous neighbourhoods.

But as we note below, the danger may now be moving north to the Limpopo basin, which is also receiving significant flows from tributaries in neighbouring South Africa.

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Agenda:

• Today: Second day of Portuguese Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Francisco André’s visit to Mozambique

• Today: President Nyusi to address the nation at 7pm local time (see Leader above)

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