Africa-Press – Mozambique. The National Alliance for a Free and Autonomous Mozambique (Anamola), led by former presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, calls for Council of State meeting aimed at assessing the humanitarian crisis caused by floods that have engulfed much of southern and central Mozambique.
The country’s main north-south highway (EN1) remains cut at several points in Maputo and Gaza provinces. The worst cut is at Incoluane, about 100 kilometres north of Maputo city. Several kilometres of the road have been washed away by the flood waters of the Incomati river.
There remains a high risk that the Senteeko dam in South Africa may collapse. This privately owned dam is on a tributary of the Crocodile River, in the Incomati basin. If it does give way, that will send a flood surge down the Incomati, and through the Mozambican districts of Magude, Moamba and Manhiça.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, in Maputo, Mondlane – as a member of the Council of State, a body that advises the President of the Republic – said that the meeting would also assess the possibilities of declaring a state of emergency as a result of the humanitarian crisis caused by floods.
“We believe that the Council of State should be convened to assess, for example, whether or not there is a need to declare a state of emergency in certain specific areas”, he said.
According to Mondlane, instead of reducing the fare normally paid by passengers by 50 percent, the publicly-owned Ports and Rail Company (CFM) should not charge any money to people living in those areas affected by floods.
He also accused government authorities of preventing his party from providing assistance to flood victims by blocking the acquisition of goods in warehouses, “and some households were expelled from the shelter centres for being members of our political party.”
“Anamola party was prevented from providing assistance in several places. The most serious thing was that members of Sernic (National Criminal Investigation Service) were deployed to monitor deliveries, so that all products purchased by our party were prevented from being transported from warehouses,”, he said.
According to the country’s relief agency, the National Disasters Management Institute (INGD), the known death toll from the storms and floods in Mozambique’s current rainy season now stands at 112. The extreme event also destroyed 728 houses, and damaged 2,700. 62,000 homes were flooded, while 43 health units and 88 classrooms were affected.
