Mozambique humanitarian situation update, 4 January 2008
Major Developments
- The Government of Mozambique declared a Red Alert on the afternoon of 3 January 2008 following a meeting of the Council of Ministers in light of current localised flooding in parts of the country due to heavy rainfall in Mozambique and in neighbouring Zimbabwe and Zambia;
- The Central Emergency Operations Centre (CENOE) has been activated since 4 January and meetings of focal points from each line ministry, relevant government institution and the Humanitarian Clusters are taking place daily to provide updates on the situation and response in areas affected by the localised flooding;
- The water levels of the Zambeze, Pungue, Save and Buzi rivers are currently exceeding alert levels. While levels of the latter three rivers have stabilised and are beginning to decrease, the Zambeze river continues to increase gradually as a result of continued high levels of rain in Zambia;
- Output from the Cahora Bassa Dam is currently at 5,100 cubic meters per second;
- The National Institute for Disaster Management (INGC) and partners are evacuating affected populations to secure areas on higher ground. Current INGC estimates put the total number of people likely to be affected at approximately 56,000 of which 13,000 have been evacuated to already-established resettlement centres;
- Moderate to strong rainfall is expected in Malawi and Zambia over the next 48 hours and in northern Mozambique, necessitating close monitoring of the water levels and regular exchange of information at the sub-regional level.
Needs Assessment
- Following consultations with the INGC, a UNICEF team representing various Clusters has been deployed to undertake rapid assessments in the districts most affected by the localised flooding. The team will work with INGC staff, line ministries and other humanitarian partners on the ground to ascertain immediate needs and supply requirements;
- The Mozambique Vulnerability Assessment Committee (VAC) and the Mozambican Food Security Secretariat in the Ministry of Agriculture (SETSAN) are also preparing to carry out a multi-agency vulnerability and food security assessment in the affected districts from the 10th to the 15th of January.
UNICEF Response
- UNICEF emergency supplies including WASH, Health and Education materials have been pre-positioned in strategic regional locations for deployment as needed to affected areas depending on the results of the initial assessments;
- Telecommunications support has been provided by UNICEF and WFP to the INGC including installation of a VSAT, teleconferencing equipment and BGANs in the central and regional operations bases of INGC to ensure effective communication between all levels;
- UNICEF is also continuing its support to the Ministry of Health to respond to cholera cases in five provinces in the country. In total, some 2,556 cases, with 24 deaths were reported in 2007, the majority of which occurred in the last quarter of the year. So far, UNICEF has provided tents to be used as cholera treatment centres, cholera beds, flipcharts and leaflets, calcium hypochlorite. UNICEF has also provided financial support to the provincial authorities in the affected provinces for supervision and management of cholera treatment facilities, cholera surveillance and development of radio spots for social mobilisation.
Inter-Agency Collaboration and Key Partnerships
- Under the framework of the IASC Cluster Approach, the Clusters established during the 2007 floods and cyclone have continued to actively engage in preparedness measures for the 2008 rainy season, including the development of a cluster-based Inter-agency Contingency Plan. Each of the Clusters has met or will meet in the coming days to discuss the current situation and assess priority requirements;
- In advance of the Red Alert, the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) in Mozambique, which coordinates the overall humanitarian response of international partners under the IASC Cluster Approach, met in late December to approve the interagency Contingency Plan developed by various Clusters. The Plan is aligned with the Government’s Contingency Plan and includes Sectoral Plans for each of the nine Mozambican Humanitarian Clusters;
- The HCT and INGC also met with representatives of the donors group in Mozambique, to share the Government and HCT Contingency plan and to request the donors to be on standby for support as the situation evolves in the coming days and weeks;
- The HCT will meet on Monday 7 January to update all humanitarian partners on the current situation and assess immediate requirements based on the initial rapid assessments and information being gathered by the INGC and humanitarian partners in the field.
For more information, please contact:
Thierry Delvigne-Jean
Communication Specialist
Tel: +258 82 3121820
tdelvignejean@unicef.org
