OCHA Situation Report No. 19
Mozambique - Floods
15 May 2001


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

Situation

1.  The water level of the Cahora Bassa reservoir continues to fall about
5-10 cm per day, with a discharge of 4,700 m3/s as of 3 May. Upstream from
Cahora Bassa, the level of the Zambezi river at Zumbo had fallen to 8 cm
above flood level on 3 May.  Downstream from the dam, the Zambezi had
fallen below flood level at Tete by 3 May and was down to 62 cm above
flood level at Caia on the same day.

2.  A donor conference to be held in Mozambique by the Government is now
scheduled in early June (OCHA Situation Report no. 18 para. 5 refers). The
Ministry of Finance and Planning is taking the lead role.  The purposes of
the conference are to review the rehabilitation/reconstruction programmes
in 2000 and the impacts of the floods in 2001, and to raise funds to
respond the unmet needs for the victims of the flooding in 2001.

3.  The governors of the four flood-affected provinces of Manica, Sofala,
Tete and have been asked to indicate their priorities for closing down
temporary accommodation centres, so that planning the logistics for the
delivery of a repatriation package can be completed. It is planned that
each displaced household should have a 15-day to one month ration of food,
as well as seeds and tools to plant a second season crop.  As of 5 May
2001, the population in 67 accommodation centres is estimated at 213,218.
The population affected by the floods outside the accommodation centres
was 336,198, giving a total affected population of 549,326.

4.  The National Institute for Disaster Management (INGC)/OCHA
coordination teams from Beira and Quelimane travelled to Luabo in Chinde
district, Zambezia province for assessment.  Chinde district lies in the
Zambezi delta and the road linking the district to the provincial capital
is in very poor condition.  Communications within the district are
likewise very weak.  Government officials in Luabo reported that several
isolated areas in the region of Luabo are facing food shortages. A mission
is planned to visit these isolated areas to assess the situation and needs
of the population.

5.  Logistics: A lack of funds for the rehabilitation work needed on the
road between Dondo and Caia in Sofala province, the main road link for the
humanitarian relief operations in the Zambezi valley is of a great
concern.  The province indicated that some MZM four thousand million
(approximately US$200,000) is still needed to meet the costs of repair
work. Traffic is severely hampered on two stretches of the road by loose
sand or deep mud.  The road from Sena to Chemba, on the south bank of the
Zambezi, is only passable using tractors.

6.  Agriculture:  Dorcas Aid, ORAM/OSEO, FAO and GTZ will distribute seed
and tool kits to displaced people in the accommodation centres in Marromeu
district, Sofala province.  The kits will be distributed to households as
they leave the centres to return home or resettle. The kits are being
shipped by boat and transported by road from Beira. Seed distribution has
begun in Caia, also in Sofala province.  The Swiss NGO OSEO has
distributed 500 seed and tool kits to households in accommodation centres
in Sussundenga district, Manica province, although no plans appear to be
in place for the supply of seeds and tools to households outside the
centres.

7.  Health and Hygiene: As of 1 May, no new cases of cholera have been
reported in Mutarara district, Tete province, where cholera was first
confirmed.  In Sofala province, 29 cases of cholera have been reported in
Chibabava district, with three deaths, 19 cases in Nhamatanda district
have resulted in no deaths.  The situation at Sena, in Caia district, has
remained stable, with eight cases of cholera in the last week.  The health
authorities are recruiting extra staff to work in Sofala province, with
UNICEF funding.  The Ministry of Health has warned of severe nutritional
problems in the temporary accommodation centres in Sofala province,
although the nutritional status among the population outside the centres
is also not good.

8.  Shelter:  Resettlement of displaced families has begun at Dombe in
Susundenga district, Manica province.  Work has started in building the
first 40 two-roomed houses for the displaced families. It is planned to
resettle a total of 438 families in Sussundenga district.  The provincial
survey team will carry out surveys at three localities in Tambara
district, in the north of Manica province, where 1,438 families are
waiting to be resettled.  Demarcation of plots is under way in Morrumbala
district, Zambezia province, with assistance from World Vision.  At least
some resettlement in this district will be in the location of
accommodation centres, where the risk of flooding is low.  Food for the
Hungry International (FHI)  has reported that some families displaced from
Luabo, Zambezia province, to Marromeu, Sofala province, have taken the
opportunity to return home by hitching a lift on the boat delivering
relief food supplies to the two places. FHI suggests that more families
may wish to return, pending the availability of transportation means to
cross the Zambezi River.


International Assistance

9.  According to OCHA, 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 12 May, OCHA recorded USD 13.6
million.

10.  Under the UN Inter-Agency Appeal, the requirements of WFP, WHO,
UNFPA, FAO and OCHA have yet to be met.  UNICEF has received contributions
which amount to 124.7 % of the total requested in the appeal (OCHA
Situation Report no.17 para.14).

10.  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

11.  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.

12.     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:
  (GVA)  Mr. Donato Kiniger-Passigli, direct Tel. +41-22-91726 53
   (NY)  Ms. Phyllis Lee, direct Tel. +1-212-963 48 32


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