“The numbers continue to rise as major flooding continues and dams continue to release water to avoid bursting,” he said.
The province of Gaza in Mozambique is the most affected along with the provinces of Maputo and Sofala.
Houses ‘melting’
Speaking from Xai-Xai, the capital of Gaza, Ms. Emerson noted that 90 percent of the country’s population lives in adobe houses, which are earthen structures “that basically melt after a few days of rain.”
Health facilities, roads and critical infrastructure are also severely affected. Ms Emerson said some 5,000 kilometers of roads have been damaged in nine provinces, including the main road linking the capital Maputo to the rest of the country, which is currently inaccessible, causing major supply chain disruptions.
Meanwhile, dams continue to release water even as heavy rains subside.
“Up to 10,000 cubic meters of water was being released from a single dam. This is approximately 25 times the amount of water that could be held in the press room you are in today, every second,” Emerson told reporters, sitting in a room that seats more than 100 people.
“You cannot imagine the strength of this water and the impact it has on people and infrastructure.“
national emergency
The Government of Mozambique has declared a national emergency and established an emergency operations center in Gaza province. Xai-Xai, which is near the Limpopo River, has been flooded, prompting evacuations. Emerson said authorities have issued alerts for central Xai-Xai, “including warnings about crocodile risks in flooded areas.”
“River levels are rising and are reaching urban areas or densely populated areas,” he said. “The crocodiles that are in the Limpopo River… are capable of getting into urban or populated areas that are now submerged under water.”
Also speaking from Xai-Xai, the Head of Communications for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Mozambique, Guy Taylor, warned that the floods are “turning contaminated water, disease outbreaks and malnutrition into a deadly threat to children.”
lethal combination
The combination of waterborne diseases and malnutrition “can often prove fatal,” he said, highlighting that even before the floods, four in 10 children in Mozambique were chronically malnourished.
“This new disruption to food supplies, health services and care practices threatens to push the most vulnerable children into a dangerous spiral,” he insisted.
Taylor added that Mozambique is entering its annual cyclone season, creating the risk of a double crisis. “We can prevent illness, death and irreversible loss for children, but we must act quickly,” he said.
The UNICEF spokesperson described Mozambique as “a country of children and young people”, with an average age of 17 years.
“When floods and cyclones occur, as they have done repeatedly and with greater frequency in recent years, the most affected are the youngest and children,” he concluded.