The Minister of State Administration and Civil Service, Ana Comoana, has warned the provincial government in Nampula province, northern Mozambique, to take into account the side effects of Tropical Cyclone Freddy, particularly in relation to diseases such as malaria.
Minister Comoana was sent to Nampula by the government in order to strengthen the local response to ‘Freddy’, which continues to vary its trajectory while still causing heavy rainfall in the coastal zone, among others.
Ana Comoana congratulated the government of Nampula on having taken appropriate preventative measures to keep at-risk residents safe, but reiterated that the government must not let its guard down.
“Concerning the collateral effects of the rainfall, we appeal to the Nampula sector of the cyclone’s side effects not least regarding sanitation conditions, especially in places of refuge,” he said.
Comoana fears the outbreak of water-based diseases such as cholera and possibly malaria.
“We also need to be careful on river crossings, and even youths going there to swim. We wouldn’t want to hear that we’ve lost someone due to animal conflicts,”’ he added.
The minister advised that all resources were to be used with absolute transparency or forwarded to other provinces in need.
Meanwhile, National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD) delegate Alberto Armando updated the number of deaths registered since the beginning of the rainy season to 13, with the same number injured.
As for infrastructure, the INGD confirmed that 34,358 students and 531 teachers had been affected, with 274 classrooms damaged, of which 32 have already been rehabilitated.
AIM