Africa-Press – Mozambique. Hundreds of families remain in temporary accommodation centres in Maputo city, victims of flooding caused by the rains in the 2022-2023 season. The mayor of Maputo says he continues to look for resources to resolve the situation.
The country is already looking with apprehension at the 2023-2024 rainy season, but the marks of last season continue to haunt families in the City of Maputo.
Teresa Mbeve occupies two tents, where she lives with her children and grandchildren. She says that, considering the months spent there, life has become unsustainable.
“I’m here with my husband, my seven children and two grandchildren,” Teresa says. “My house, in Bairro das Mahotas, disappeared; I am here, where there is so much suffering. What we want is to get out of here, because we are already tired. They have already come here and promised resettlement, but so far there has been nothing.”
The tents don’t offer much security, says Moisés Cardoso, who also saw his house flooded and was thereafter obliged to live in the accommodation centre. “When it rains, these tents take in water, so we have to walk back and forth with our belongings. The food gets wet, and we have nowhere to go. What we want is help to get out of here,” he says.
Sheila Meque has been living in the centre since the beginning of this year and is asking the authorities to resolve the problem. “To have access to electricity, for example, we all have to contribute between 10 and 20 meticais per day to buy energy, which sometimes is not even enough. As for water, the director of the school next door lets us get it without any problems and that’s how we live, but I confess that it hasn’t been easy to live with that reality”.
The mayor of Maputo, Eneas Comiche, said during celebrations of the 136th anniversary of the City of Maputo, that he understands the seriousness of the situation in which the families find themselves.
“We continue to look for resources to help residents who are still living in accommodation centres, at the same time as looking for resources to respond to eventualities arising from the 2023-2024 rainy season, which has already begun,” he said.
Right next to Bairro Romão, many houses in Bairro das Mahotas are surrounded by water, and the streets are impassable. Some houses have been abandoned, and the situation is worsened by stagnant water due to lack of drainage channels.
For More News And Analysis About Mozambique Follow Africa-Press
