Mozambique’s National Meteorological Institute (INAM) warned yesterday that the low atmospheric pressure that has formed near Madagascar has evolved into a tropical disturbance and could become a tropical storm as of Wednesday.
“Projections indicate that it has the potential to reach the stage of a moderate tropical storm on 24 January 2024, near the east coast of Madagascar. However, it does not yet pose a danger to the Mozambique Channel or the continental part of our country,” reads a warning issued at the end of today by INAM.
It also explains that this low atmospheric pressure system formed earlier to the north-east of that island, in the south-west Indian Ocean basin, “close to the east coast of Madagascar”.
Inam adds that it is monitoring the evolution of this system and tropical cyclones and “calls on the population to continue to follow the meteorological information and warnings issued by the competent national authorities”.
Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi called at the end of September for the population and authorities to be prepared for the foreseeable effects of the ‘El Ninõ’ phenomenon on the country in the coming months, with forecasts of above-normal rainfall and outbreaks of drought.
“History repeats itself. So we have to create conditions of resilience. In this regard, the government will issue regular warnings to keep the population informed and prepared for weather conditions that may not be favourable to life, production or infrastructure,” said the head of state.
Filipe Nyusi warned that the forecasts indicate that the country will once again “experience the ‘El Nino’ phenomenon”, which “could bring normal rainfall with a tendency to be above normal in the centre and north of the country, and normal rainfall with a tendency to be below normal, which could lead to some outbreaks of drought in the south”.
“This requires us all to be cautious and prepared to face this challenge caused by climate change. Let’s get organised. I call on us to save and reserve water for consumption and for our livestock,” he said.
“This is an appeal I’m making to the whole country. So let’s be vigilant and follow the guidelines to mitigate the impact, avoiding or minimising damage and loss, including human lives, on the one hand, and on the other, let’s manage water properly and responsibly, especially in times of scarcity,” he added in the same message.
Mozambique is considered one of the countries most severely affected by climate change in the world, facing cyclical floods and tropical cyclones during the rainy season, which runs from October to April.
The 2018/2019 rainy season was one of the most severe on record in Mozambique: 714 people died, including 648 victims of cyclones Idai and Kenneth, two of the biggest ever to hit the country.
In the first quarter of last year, heavy rains and Cyclone Freddy caused 306 deaths, affected more than 1.3 million people in the country, destroyed 236,000 homes and 3,200 classrooms, according to official government figures.
Lusa
