Mozambique humanitarian situation update, 5 March 2008
Major Developments Flood response All rivers in the flood-affected areas show a continuous decrease in water levels. Hydrometric stations indicate that nearly all rivers are below alert level. It is expected that the Zambeze river will be below alert level this week. Discharges from the Cahora Bassa Dam have decreased to 1,680 cubic metres per second. The total number of people relocated to resettlement centres across the five provinces affected by flooding is approximately 110,000. Of these, a total of nearly 94,000 are in the Zambeze valley area. The government authorities remain on alert as the rainy season usually extends until end of March. So far, moderate to heavy rainfall in the flood affected areas have left a number of resettlement centres in Tete and Zambezia provinces inaccessible. Security in Southern Mozambique In light of security incidents in the last month, Security Phase 1 was declared for Maputo City and the provinces of Maputo, Gaza, and Inhambane. UNICEF Response to the Zambeze Floods Management and coordination Daily coordination meetings in Maputo as well as in Caia have been reduced to three times a week, now held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. A registration exercise is being carried out of displaced people in flood-affected districts by specially trained INGC and CENOE staff members. Results are forwarded to Maputo for further consolidation and final results are expected by next week. Health and nutrition Incidences of cholera continue to decrease across Mutarara district. Fourteen new cases were reported on 5 March, compared to 28 new cases on 23 February for Mutarara district. The cumulative number of cases recorded since the first outbreaks in Mutarara now stands at 902. No new deaths have been reported and thus the total stands at 14 deaths (CFR 1.6). UNICEF and MSF are supporting district health authorities to monitor the situation. With support from the Nutrition Cluster, District Health Authorities continue to conduct screening activities in the flood-affected districts across the central provinces. A total of approximately 11,600 children under-five have been screened so far, of which approximately 1,100 children were found to be moderately malnourished, and subsequently received food supplementation. A total of 95 children were reported as severely malnourished and were referred to district hospitals for therapeutic feeding. The delivery of integrated health interventions including Vitamin A supplementation, immunisation and de-worming continues in the flood-affected areas. To date, approximately 7,000 children have been de-wormed and received vitamin A supplementation. The total number of mosquito nets needed to cover the 2007 and 2008 resettled population is 128,258 nets. So far, of the 79,250 mosquito nets distributed to district hubs, UNICEF and partners have confirmed delivery of 53,646 nets directly to families resettled in the affected areas. An additional 7,000 mosquito nets are under procurement. Water and sanitation To date, sanitation coverage in the flood-affected areas stands at 42%, with a total of 16,645 people living in resettlement centres having access to adequate sanitation through the construction of 3,329 family latrines and a total of 29,760 people living in transit centres have been provided with 1,488 communal latrines. The distribution of emergency WASH supplies received through OCHA from Brindisi is ongoing and distributed goods are already being used in different resettlement and transit centres. Additional emergency funds have been made available for the drilling of boreholes in Tete (20 boreholes), Zambezia (20 boreholes) and Sofala (15 boreholes). Part of these funds will also be used to construct permanent latrine slabs in resettlement centres, targeting an additional 2000 families. UNICEF and partners continue to support the provincial and district authorities to increase capacity for water treatment, storage and distribution in order to ensure access to safe water for all displaced populations. Technical assistance is being provided for effective management and operation of all water treatment plants installed in the resettlement and transit centres. Education The total number of children assessed in need of learning materials in the flood-affected areas is 80,564. So far, a total of 63, 986 learners’ kits have been distributed by UNICEF and Cluster partners. In addition, 631 teachers’ kits and 140 school kits have been distributed to ensure quality of education in all learning spaces. Cluster partners Action Aid and World Vision are finalising distribution of education materials in Inhangoma and Doa areas in Mutarara district. UNICEF and partners are in the process of finalising distribution of materials, in order to commence training and monitoring activities. Following a recent meeting between Education Cluster partners and the Ministry of Education on emergency response and planning, the Ministry is preparing to hold a meeting with all provincial and district education directors to develop an action plan based on the existing draft Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan. The action plan will also draw on lessons learned from this year’s experience. Protection UNICEF and Protection Cluster partners continue to deliver basic materials for the most vulnerable households affected by the floods. A total of 6,000 emergency kits have so far been distributed in Inhambane (Guvuro), Sofala (Chemba), Zambezia (Chinde, Morrumbala), Tete (Mutarara) and Manica (Tambara) provinces, with the Provincial Directorates of Women and Social Action actively involved in the monitoring of the distribution. The deployment of additional police officers has been completed in Caia, Marromeu, Tambara, Maganja da Costa, Mutarara and Mopeia districts. UNICEF provided briefings on protection and gender-based violence to the police staff prior to deployment to the resettlement centres. The Ministry of Interior is currently following up with monitoring visits in selected resettlement camps. Logistics and telecommunications support Due to funding constraints, the Logistics Cluster has reduced the number of helicopters in service. Two helicopters will remain in service until 5 March, after which one helicopter will continue operating until end of March. The Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF) technicians have completed their mission and have handed over responsibilities to the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster. IT support continues to be provided by the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster to all four INGC Emergency Operations Centres in Mozambique. Inter-agency collaboration and key partnerships The Humanitarian Country Team, with support from UNOCHA, is preparing a progress report on the Southern African Region Appeal. All Cluster leads have been requested to provide inputs and the report will be released on 6 March. A CERF mission will take place from 10 to 15 March in Mozambique. The mission will have the following objectives: (1) to review the prioritisation process of the CERF allocations for Mozambique from the Rapid Response window in 2007/2008; (2) to assess the initial impact of CERF funding in the implementation of the ongoing emergency response; and (3) to identify gaps and mechanisms to improve the provision of support. For more information, please contact: Thierry Delvigne-Jean Lynda DeGuire Lisa Doherty Annelien Groten
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