The National Institute for Disaster Risk Management (INGD) has announced that it is investing in preventive actions in the face of the climate changes affecting the world, especially Mozambique, which has recently experienced several cyclones, droughts and floods that have affected several families in all regions of the country.
According to the organisation, the initiatives have helped to prevent more than 13,000 families from becoming food insecure, providing means of subsistence and avoiding the displacement of goods and people to other areas.
‘The work focused on providing adequate water and sanitation, agricultural and livestock inputs to minimise the impact of the drought in a timely manner in communities in the districts of Caia and Chemba, in Sofala province,’ described the INGD representative, Paulo Tomás.
He emphasised that for the 2024-25 rainy season, a process is underway throughout the country to develop operational procedures and specific plans for anticipating drought, floods, cyclones and cholera.
‘The past rainy season was characterised by little rainfall in the south and centre of the country, but this caused food insecurity for more than two million families, 510,000 of whom still need immediate humanitarian assistance,’ he said.
Tomás added that INGD is assisting these families, with the help of the World Food Programme (WFP), and urged other partners to be proactive so that less damage is done.
Recently, the INGD stated that the country needs 222 million dollars to provide assistance to the victims, emphasising that several provinces have already been affected, raising the level of concern and the number of areas that need help.
‘The provinces of Inhambane, Gaza, Sofala and Tete are showing alarming cases of drought; there are nine districts that are completely devastated and we feel that the number of people affected could increase,’ explained Luísa Meque, the organisation’s president.
