The districts of Magude and Boane, in Maputo Province in the southern region, are already experiencing shortages of food products and fuel following the rise in water levels in the Incomáti and Umbelúzi river basins. This situation has been caused by flooding that has affected almost the entire country since last week.
Quoted by Rádio Moçambique, the administrator of Magude, Mariana Cupane, described the situation as worrying, noting that shops have begun to run out of food products and lack the means to restock, recalling that these areas are isolated due to the destruction of access roads.
“The situation tends to worsen. Across the region, we continue to face shortages of products in shops and among suppliers, and we are also dealing with fuel shortages at our filling stations,” she said, adding that the situation may persist as long as water levels remain high.
Earlier this week, the Ministry of Transport and Logistics reported that the uninterrupted rains causing flooding across much of the national territory have particularly affected the southern region, with around 40% of Gaza Province submerged and districts in Maputo Province flooded and, in some cases, isolated.
In a statement, the Government revealed that, based on assessments carried out up to Friday (16), at least 152 kilometres of roads had been completely destroyed and more than three thousand kilometres were virtually impassable. “There are critical areas in Gaza, Maputo and also in Sofala as a result of rising water levels,” the statement said. Last week, the National Roads Administration (ANE) suspended traffic on the Incoluane–3 de Fevereiro section of National Road Number 1 (N1) due to the rise in the level of the Incomáti River.
“The increase in the Incomáti River’s flow caused flooding over a stretch of approximately three kilometres of the N1. As a result, the immediate suspension of traffic of all types of vehicles on this section was ordered,” the authority said in a statement.
On Wednesday (21), the National Institute of Meteorology (INAM) issued a yellow alert warning due to the approach of a tropical depression in the Mozambique Channel, which is expected to worsen the emergency situation already in place in the south of the country, where widespread flooding and stranded populations have been reported.
In one of its recent statements, the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD) warned that Mozambique may be facing a flood situation potentially more severe than that recorded in 2000, when approximately 800 people died in what is considered one of the country’s greatest natural disasters. The 2000 floods in Mozambique were caused by heavy rains and tropical cyclones, mainly affecting the Limpopo, Incomáti, Umbelúzi and Save river basins, severely impacting the south and centre of the country. The disaster left millions affected, destroyed infrastructure, housing and agricultural fields, and caused major economic losses.
Currently, the Government faces a deficit of 6.6 billion meticais to respond to the current rainy season, in a context where 14 billion meticais are required to ensure humanitarian assistance, support for displaced people, health services and food provision in accommodation centres.
Mozambique is currently in the peak of the rainy season, a period marked by alerts for heavy rainfall and strong winds, especially in the central and southern regions of the country, with authorities activating anticipatory actions against flooding and inundations in those areas.
The country is considered one of the most severely affected by climate change, cyclically facing floods and tropical cyclones. In the most recent rainy season (2024–25), Mozambique was hit by Cyclones Chido, Dikeledi and Jude, which caused at least 313 deaths, injured 1,255 people and affected more than 1.8 million.
Extreme events caused at least 1,016 deaths in Mozambique between 2019 and 2023, affecting around 4.9 million people, according to data from the National Statistics Institute.
Source: Diário Económico
