OCHA Situation Report No. 13
Mozambique: Floods
Reporting Period: 10-14 March 2007
16 March 2007


Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

ACTIVITIES/RESPONSES

SITUATION OVERVIEW

1. The Government of Mozambique (GoM) approved the post disaster needs 
assessment and the action plan for the post emergency period at the 
Council of Ministers meeting held on 13 March 2007 in Maputo. The 
meeting discussed the emergency situation in the Zambezi and Buzi river 
basins, and in areas affected by the tropical cyclone Favio in the 
provinces of Inhambane, Sofala and Manica.  According to a press release 
from the Mozambique's National Institute for Disaster Management (INGC) 
issued on 14 March 2007, the overall number of affected people has risen 
to about 500,000, and the damage to infrastructures is estimated at 1.8 
billion Meticais (USD 71 million dollars). The Government appealed to 
the humanitarian community, including UN agencies, international NGOs, 
private sector and local civil society organizations, to continue 
helping the victims of the natural disasters to speed up the 
normalization of their lives.

2. On 22 March 2007 the INGC will meet governors, administrators and 
community leaders in Chimoio, Manica to discuss the transition phase, 
and in particular the resettlement policy. The INGC acknowledges that 
incentives for resettlement must be strong enough to encourage people to 
move to new areas, rather than return to their habitual place of 
residence, which are subject to hazards.

3. The Government of Vilanculos has officially declared an end to the 
immediate humanitarian response phase in cyclone affected areas. Working 
groups have been established to develop strategies for the 
rehabilitation phase in four areas: infrastructure (including water and 
sanitation), agriculture, health and social action.

4. While the floods have subsided, some camps have reported continuous 
growth over the past weeks. This can be attributed to food shortages in 
the rural areas, and availability of food at the accommodation centres. 
Limited services available in accommodation camps place additional 
challenges on the humanitarian community.

5. As floodwater has receded significantly in certain areas, people are 
returning to places where they farm and places of former residence. In 
order to promote resettlement, the government of Mozambique is preparing 
discussions on take-home kits as an incentive for relocation in close 
cooperation with the wider humanitarian community. The process of plot 
demarcation as part of the resettlement process is ongoing in all of the 
flood affected provinces. Many of the resettlement plots are close to 
the existing accommodation centres.

FOOD SECURITY CLUSTER

6. A total of 110,000 people have received food aid in the Zambezi area, 
another 32,000 in the area affected by the cyclone. The WFP distribution 
plan for the coming two weeks foresees support to 140,000 people in the 
flood hit provinces, and 67,000 people in the cyclone affected districts 
of Inhassoro, Vilanculos, Buzi. The food distribution plan has been 
endorsed at the local level in Caia.

7. FAO, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture (MINAG) and 
the INGC, will implement Agricultural Input Trade Fairs (ITFs) in the 
seven provinces of the Zambezi basin, supporting 57,000 flood affected 
households. This will be completed by end April 2007, in time for the 
affected farmers to utilise the seeds (estimated 130 tons), hand tools 
(18,000) and other agricultural inputs for the second agricultural 
season, taking advantage of the high soil moisture content and the 
fertile silt. Estimated outputs could reach 60,000 tons of food (16,000 
tons of maize, 6,000 tons of beans and 40,000 tons of various 
vegetables). The initial funding has been provided by CERF.

LOGISTICS CLUSTER

8. Sixteen trucks, four boats and a barge are currently operational 
under WFP coordination, and are expected to be operational until the end 
of April. Funds to cover the costs of these assets during this extension 
period are not yet allocated.

9. Arrangements for fuel requirements in Caia are still being put in 
place. Meanwhile fuel has to be to be transported from Beira.

10. Fuel for air operations will be pre-positioned in operating bases. 
Two South African Air Force helicopters are operational with a daily 
food delivery capacity of 50 to 60 tons. Daily fuel needs for these 
helicopters totals an average of 16,000 litres. The USD 100,000 BP fuel 
donation will deplete on 15 March 2007. The cluster needs an additional 
USD 200,000 to cover the next 3 weeks of air operations for these 
helicopters, coordinated by WFP Management of Humanitarian Air Services.

11. Food trucking is up to date while trucking of Non Food Items (NFIs) 
requires additional support, given the number of partners involved in 
this area, and the variety of NFIs. A database has been set up at the 
Caia level to monitor the movement. All information can be red by email.

WATER, SANITATION AND HYGIENE CLUSTER

12. A rapid assessment on the standards of implementation of sanitation 
services is currently conducted by the cluster lead, and will provide 
additional information on gaps and needs. The cluster briefly discussed 
what inputs should be included in the returns packages to be distributed 
during the resettlement

13. In Sofala province, the water situation is under control in the 
majority of districts and focus is on sanitation and hygiene promotion. 
In Manica province, monitoring is being undertaken in coordination with 
the local water authorities to ensure that all of the WASH needs are 
being met. In Zambezia and Tete provinces, water trucking and the 
distribution of water bladders are ongoing, in addition to sanitation 
and hygiene interventions. In the majority of districts the focus is 
currently on sanitation and hygiene promotion. Community mobilisation 
activities in hygiene promotion are ongoing in accommodation centres in 
the flood-affected provinces, including video projections on the 
promotion of good hygiene practices by multimedia mobile units and 
sessions on hygiene promotion by community theatre groups. These 
activities are planned to continue until the end of March.

14. Some constraints have been faced in relation to water provision in 
the Mopeia and Mutarara districts, mainly due to limited accessibility 
and availability of trucks. A water treatment plant is being sent to the 
district of Chinde in Zambezia (which has limited accessibility), and 
partners are reviewing whether there is a need for additional plants in 
other areas. Due to its geophysical status of being a swamp area, the 
malaria prone Buzi region needs further support. CVM is present, and 
supplies have been provided through the local water authorities, 
including bladders, chlorine and jerry cans.

PROTECTION CLUSTER

15. The focus has been on monitoring service delivery in the 
accommodation centres, ensuring that vulnerable groups are protected 
from violence and they receive adequate psychosocial support.

16. A total of 80 police agents have now been deployed to accommodation 
centres in flood affected provinces. Given the diverse tasks undertaken 
by the police in the accommodation centres, the INGC has proposed the 
involvement of traditional leaders, who moved to the accommodation 
centres together with the affected communities, in protection 
activities.

17. Cluster partners including Save the Children Alliance and HIV 
Alliance organised trainings for NGOs, UN and accommodation centre staff 
and residents on child and women protection issues. WFP and other Food 
Security Cluster Members will conduct training on sexual exploitation 
starting on 19 March 2007, and it will cover all accommodation centres.

18. Handicap International has completed the mine risk assessments in 
Marromeu and Caia and is assessing fields in Chemba, Tambara and Guro. 
Some 16 agents have also been trained on mine risk education and 
community awareness rising is ongoing.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS CLUSTER

19. One additional repeater station has been set up in the Morumbala 
area to increase coverage of the VHF network in the flood-affected 
region. Vilanculos town has full VHF-coverage. The cluster is assisting 
the INGC in Vilanculos to deploy their VHF network and provides data 
connectivity to the INGC Operations Centre (CENOE).

HEALTH CLUSTER

20. Health promotion and epidemiological surveillance are key priorities 
as the risk of cholera and malaria outbreaks prevails. CVM volunteers 
have reported that malaria, diarrhoea, respiratory infection and 
conjunctivitis are on the increase, and potentially becoming major 
causes of morbidity. In order to avert this situation and in support to 
the GoM Reconstruction Plan, WHO is exploring the possibilities to 
increase the number of HF radios to strengthen the surveillance for 
communicable diseases. WHO in collaboration with the MoH and CVM plan to 
train volunteers and health workers on surveillance system, to increase 
their participation in data collection.

21. A questionnaire has been shared with health partners to map health 
interventions and partners involved, to identify new gaps and evaluate 
medical supply pre-positioned in the affected districts to address any 
outbreak.

NUTRITION CLUSTER

22. The current available figures indicate that an estimated 6,913 
children have been screened under the program across four flood affected 
provinces; 606 moderately malnourished children have been supplemented 
with BP5 (a type of compact food), 35 severely malnourished children 
have been referred to hospital for appropriate case management, 7,117 
children have received de-worming and 5,935 children have received 
Vitamin A supplementation.

23. MSF-Switzerland has joined the nutrition cluster, and is ready to 
work in Zambezia province, where it already has activities.

EDUCATION CLUSTER

24. Cluster partners continue to work with the district education 
authorities to ensure the distribution of zinc sheets, tents to serve as 
temporary learning spaces, school kits and recreation kits to schools 
affected by the floods. The cluster will increase focus on school 
councils and school attendance. Opportunities to use the school as a 
platform to communicate messages on protection, environment and 
sanitation are being considered by different partners.

25. In Sofala province concerted efforts are being undertaken with the 
provincial and district education authorities through the Gender Units 
and School Councils to mobilize children from the accommodation centres 
who had never before received schooling, to enrol in local supported 
schools.

26. In Tete province, many schools and accommodation centres are still 
not accessible by road and transporting materials is very difficult.

COORDINATION

27. Humanitarian partners are encouraged to participate in the regular 
INGC briefings, held on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 09:30 which 
serves as an information exchange platform.

FUNDING

28. On behalf of the wider humanitarian community a Flash Appeal was 
released on 12 March 2007, focusing on humanitarian and early recovery 
activities. The document is available online at 
http://ochaonline.un.org/humanitarianappeal/webpage.asp?Page=1558.

29. The USAID-Office for Foreign Disaster Management (OFDA) allocated 
USD 50,000 to support the distribution of water purification liquids to 
all accommodation centres. USAID is considering additional support to 
WFP through its Food for Peace-programme.

30. The Government of Mozambique (GoM) allocated USD 45,600 to procure 
HF radios to improve communication exchange in the flood hit Zambezi 
area.

31. Based upon a rapid needs assessment conducted last week during a 
field trip to the Vilanculos area, the World Bank is considering 
additional funding to the tourism sector through their transfrontier 
tourism project. Further priorities for the World Bank are 
rehabilitation of roads, institutional capacity building and positive 
South African press coverage on the Mozambican tourism industry.

32. An updated list of all humanitarian aid flows in light of the 2007 
Mozambique floods and the Cyclone Favio can be consulted on 
http://ocha.unog.ch/fts/reports/daily/ocha_R10_E15266___07031407.pdf . 
(See below up-dated list as of 15 March 2007).

Contact Details:

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

UN Resident Coordinator (Mozambique)
  Mr. Ndolamb Ngokwey, Tel: +258-21-485-158

OCHA Regional Office for Southern Africa (South Africa)
  Ms. Kelly David, Tel: + 27-11-517-1609

OCHA R/C Mozambique Communication Team
  Mr. Luis Zaqueu, Tel: +258-21-485-159
  Mr. Dimitri Lermytte, Tel: + 258-84 6990970

Desk Officer (New York) Ms. Mette Tangen, Tel: + 1-917-367-3001

Press contact:
  GVA - Ms. Elizabeth Byrs, Tel. +41-22-917 2653
  NYC - Ms. Stephanie Bunker, Tel:  +1-917-367-5126

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