Mozambican gov't approves plan to mitigate natural disasters

Mozambique's Council of Ministers announced on Tuesday that the government had approved a contingency plan for natural disasters likely to occur in the first quarter of 2017.

According to the government spokesperson Mouzinho Saide, the approved plan, despite short in funds, aims at reducing the loss of human lives and prevent damage of economic and social infrastructures as well as to provide assistance to the affected people until they recover their normal living conditions.

"The contingency plan predicts three scenarios, the first indicates the occurrence of small extent expected to affect less than 700,000 people, the second scenario most likely to happen when about 1 million people affected and the third scenario would be the combination of the first two scenarios affecting more than 1.4 million people," said Saide.

The authorities expect floods in the main hydrographic basins, particular in the provinces of Niassa, Nampula and Cabo Delgado in northern Mozambique and Tete and Zambezia in central.

"The government has already mobilized part of the financial resources required for the contingency plan, obviously other resources will be raised together with the cooperation partners," added the government spokesperson.

The estimated amount planned by the authorities will be about 10.1 million U.S. dollars. Endit