Mozambique's National Weather Institute
has warned that the dry weather caused by poor and irregular rainfall could
continue until March. At present, more than half a million lives are at
risk due to 'pockets of hunger' in Mozambique.
The shortage of rains has already led
the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to concede that the next
planting season seen as crucial to prevent the situation from deteriorating
is now compromised. In the recently readjusted disaster contingency plan,
the National Institute for Disaster Management fears that the number of
people affected by 'pockets of hunger' could double from the current 700,000.
Meanwhile, provinces in the Northern Region are bracing themselves for continuing heavy rains and thunderstorms. Up to 100,000 people are said to be in need of assistance in both Nampula and Zambezia Provinces, from food to shelter. World Vision-Mozambique has been working side by side with Government authorities and other partners as field assessments and intervention efforts gain momentum.
World Vision Mozambique's Agriculture department says that a large section of the target population of its Food Security Project along coastal districts in Nampula sustained damage with the uprooting of cashew trees and the destruction of roads and bridges. One of the gravest concerns now is access to these communities and the market routes that are impacted by the road closures. WV Moz is currently looking at funds for road repair and rehabilitation.
World Vision Mozambique is also proposing that any interventions be based on a holistic approach and incorporate 'disaster mitigation' as a tool to equip communities to tackle natural disasters in future.