Maputo, Mozambique – The current floods in Mozambique could lead to a massive food crisis unless action is taken to support the 182,000 farmers affected, the international anti-poverty agency ActionAid said today (30 January).

Alberto Silva, director of ActionAid in Mozambique, said:

“Water levels in the Zambezi valley have risen again, in some places to more than 7 metres, the peak they reached on 10 January. The Limpopo river in the south has also started to rise.

"Heavy rains are forecast to continue for the rest of the week in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. If the waters continue to rise, these floods could affect even more people than in 2000.”

Felipe Pequenino, who is managing ActionAid’s emergency operations in Mutarara and Chemba districts, said:

“With so many people having their fields destroyed and losing their livestock, an ambitious national plan must be quickly set up to help the 182,000 farmers affected to recover if we are to avoid a massive food crisis this year”.

In Mutarara district ActionAid has begun evacuating an extra 1500 people from the village of Cachaço, where the total number of people to be evacuated could reach 5000 people within one or two days.

Local committees set up by ActionAid with the national government emergencies department (INGC) are continuing to support over 5500 people they evacuated from the village of Chirembwe to resettlement centres.

After recent heavy rains many resettlement camps can be reached only by boat or helicopter, slowing the work of government and aid workers.

ActionAid staff are continuing to work with local authorities to support around 6000 people they evacuated to resettlement camps in the region of Mangaja da Costa.

Local committees set up by ActionAid are continuing to distribute tarpaulins for shelter and soap to protect vulnerable people, especially women and children, from the risk of disease. The committees use radio to tell communities about the forecasts and encourage them to prepare for evacuation if necessary.