OCHA Situation Report No. 16
Mozambique - Floods
9 April 2001


This report summarises information received from the UN Resident
Coordinator's Office in Mozambique.

Situation

1.  The level of the Zambezi River continues to be slowly going down at
all the measuring stations. The discharge from Cahora Bassa dam was an
average 4,400 m3/s during the past few days.  The levels of the Buzi and
the Save Rivers are also going down.  For the coming days, no exceptional
rain is foreseen in the downstream area of the Zambezi River, indicating
that the situation continues to be improving.  However, localized showers
could occur in Sofala and Tete provinces in the afternoons and evenings.
Rain and thundershowers are expected over high ground in the northern
provinces of Niassa, Nampula and Cabo Delgado.

2.  On 6 April, the Director of the National Institute for Disaster
Management (INGC) stated that humanitarian operations in the
flood-affected areas would have to continue for at least one month more.  
The Director accompanied the Dutch ambassador to Mozambique on an
evaluation mission to the affected area last week.

3.  A joint Government/UN mission visiting various flood-affected areas is
expected to give a debriefing at the UN Disaster Management Team meeting
tomorrow, 10 April.  The mission will subsequently present its report to
the international community as the second phase of relief operations, i.
e. a resettlement and rehabilitation phase.  As a planning of
resettlement, two missions have been fielded to identify areas for
resettlement in Sofala, Tete and Zambezia provinces.

4.  Logistics: The falling water level on the Zambezi River has resulted
in the isolation of the Inhangoma area of Mutarara district (Tete
province) except by air, because the water level is too low for boats and
the roads are too muddy to be passable.  The road between Caia and Sena is
now passable for vehicles with four-wheel drive.  WFP received the
additional funds from the Government of the Netherlands to support the
costs of existing air assets, namely three Puma helicopters and one
Buffalo fixed-wing airplane, until 21 April.

5.  Health and Hygiene: Immunisation campaign continues in the
accommodation centres.  Children under five receive measles vaccine and
everyone in the centre is targeted for meningitis immunisation.  Pregnant
women receive anti-tetanus vaccines.  In addition, children from six
months to five years old receive vitamin A supplement.  Action Contre la
Faim (ACF) is guaranteeing 60,000 litters of clean water a day for the
accommodation centres in Nhambalo, Zangua and Amilcar Cabral in Caia
district, Sofala province.  ACF has also 60 constructed latrines in the
Amilcar Cabral and 30 in the Nhambalo centres.

6.  Shelter: The INGC recorded the arrival of 7,851 tents, 9,539
tarpaulins, 14,762 rolls of plastic sheeting and 44,655 blankets in
response to the Appeal.  More plastic sheeting is still needed for
accommodation centres.

7.  Communication: An HF base station has been installed at the INGC in
Beira and four GPS have been handed over to Mozambican Army.

8.  Mine Awareness: The National Institute for Demining, in cooperation
with the INGC, the UN agencies and NGOs, conducted a mine awareness
training in Maputo from 29 to 30 March. Trained trainers are expected to
organise a similar training course in the field.  The course was organised
as a follow up measure of a landmine incident on 14 March, when a truck
for the relief operations was involved in a landmine accident on the road
between Beira and Caia.  Two people were injured and hostpitalised in
Beira.  Last year, there was a fear that floods might dislocate landmines.


International Assistance

9.  The IFRC reported that 52.1 % of the appeal for CHF 4.9 million
(approx.  USD 2.9 million) has been covered.  23 % of the total appeal has
been received in cash and 29.1% in goods and services.  The Appeal has
been assisting the Mozambican Red Cross in supporting 30,000 beneficiaries
for 3 months.

10.  The Governments of Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France,
Germany, Italy, Japan, Morocco, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden,
the United Kingdom, and the United States have pledged or provided cash
and/or in-kind contributions bilaterally or through NGOs or the UN system.
As of 9 April, OCHA recorded USD 12 million.

11.  OCHA is prepared to serve as channel for cash contributions to be
used for immediate relief assistance, in co-ordination/consultation with
relevant organisations in the United Nations system.  Funds should be
transferred to OCHA account no. CO-590.160.0, Swift code: UBSWCHZ12A at
the UBS AG, P.O. Box 2770, CH-1211 Geneva 2, with reference: "OCHA -
Mozambique - floods 2001".  OCHA provides donors with written confirmation
and pertinent details concerning the utilisation of the funds contributed

12.  Information on contributions to this disaster may be found by
clicking on Financial Tracking at the top of the page for this disaster on
the OCHA Internet Website (http://www.reliefweb.int). Donors are requested
to verify this table and inform OCHA Geneva of
corrections/additions/values. Donors are encouraged to notify OCHA Geneva
of their contributions to this disaster using the OCHA Standardized
Contributions Recording Format, available electronically in the above
mentioned Financial Tracking Website.

13.  This Situation Report and further information on ongoing emergencies
are also available on the OCHA Internet Website at
http://www.reliefweb.int



Telephone: +41-22-91712 34
Fax: +41-22-917 00 23
E-mail: ochagva@un.org

In case of emergency only: Tel. +41-22-917 20 10

Focal Points (OCHA Disaster Response Branch):
  Mr. J. Boutroue (Chief, Africa I and the Middle East)
  Ms. Y. Sawada (Desk Officer) direct Tel. +41 22 917 1438 / 1768


Press contact:  Mr. Donato Kiniger-Passigli, direct Tel. +41-22-91726 53


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