Indian-owned mining company Vulcan donated around 79 tonnes of various products, worth 7 million meticals, to support 30,000 people affected by Cyclone Jude in the province of Zambézia, in central Mozambique.
According to Sérgio Paude, a representative of the company, the donation was mobilised by the country’s first lady, Gueta Chapo, and consists of 50 tonnes of rice and corn flour, 45,000 litres of cooking oil and 10 tonnes of salt, as well as feminine hygiene products and footwear.
In a statement, the representative reaffirmed that the mining company is committed to promoting social responsibility actions with a positive impact.
Cyclone Jude, which entered Mozambican territory on 10 March through the district of Mossuril, in the province of Nampula, caused the death of at least 16 people and also affected the provinces of Tete, Manica, Zambézia, Niassa and Cabo Delgado. Updated data from the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD) indicate that the phenomenon affected 384,877 people, corresponding to 82,780 families.
Among the damage reported are 89 houses totally or partially destroyed, 1,854 houses flooded, 263 schools, 144 places of worship, 81 health facilities, as well as various public infrastructure, including 20 bridges, 43 aqueducts and more than 100,000 hectares of agricultural land devastated.
The destruction also extended to 68 boats, eight water supply systems and 1,318 electricity poles, highlighting the extent of the damage caused by the cyclone.
Mozambique is currently in the rainy season, which runs from October to April, during which cyclones Chido and Dikeledi were also recorded. Between December and January, these cyclones mainly affected the north of the country, impacting 736,000 people and destroying numerous public and private infrastructure.
Ranked as one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change, Mozambique faces cyclical extreme events such as floods, tropical cyclones and severe droughts, and this is yet another episode that will test the country’s response capacity and resilience.
Vulcan operates in an area of 250 square kilometres in Moatize, with the nearest community located at least 350 metres from the mining area. The company belongs to the Indian group Jindal, whose market value is around 18 billion dollars. (1.1 billion meticals), and already operated the Chirodzi mine, also in the province of Tete.
In April 2022, Vulcan acquired the mining operations in Mozambique from Brazilian company Vale, in a deal valued at over US$270 million (17 billion meticals). Since then, it has produced an average of 35 million tonnes of coal per year and expected to reach between 50 and 52 million tonnes per year by 2024, positioning itself among the world’s largest producers in the sector.
