The Ministry of Public Works, Housing, and Water Resources (MOPHRH), through its Permanent Secretary, Hélio Banze, has called for the adoption of measures that promote the sustainable management of water resources, especially during the rainy season. According to the official, these measures are essential to reduce the risk of flooding and ensure community well-being.
Hélio Banze made this appeal on Tuesday, November 4, in Maputo, during the 8th International Conference on Cooperation for River and Environmental Management (REMCO) — a joint initiative between Mozambique, South Africa, and Eswatini aimed at the integrated and sustainable management of transboundary river basins.
According to the MOPHRH Permanent Secretary, the sustainable management of water resources is a matter of national survival and regional integration. “Our country is part of eight of the largest shared river basins within the Southern African Development Community, and more than 90% of the floods recorded in our territory occur in these shared basins,” said Hélio Banze.
He further stressed that, for Mozambique, it is urgent to transform shared river basins into spaces for scientific, technological, political, economic, and social development, with the goal of ensuring ecosystem protection and environmental preservation.
“What we want is for information to flow in real time and for decisions to be made based on concrete evidence,” Hélio Banze emphasized, highlighting the importance of effective regional coordination to prevent flood impacts and promote the rational use of water.
The 8th REMCO International Conference is being held under the theme “Strengthening Water Resilience and Governance in Transboundary River Basins,” bringing together experts and government representatives from the three countries. The meeting aims to share experiences and strengthen water cooperation strategies in the region.
The event, which runs until Friday, seeks to consolidate the participating countries’ commitment to the sustainable management of shared basins, strengthening resilience and joint response capacity to climate and environmental challenges affecting the southern African region.
Source: Rádio Moçambique (RM)
