Mozambique

Disaster risk reduction in the Mozambique context needs to consider not only the natural hazard profile for the country but also the existing condition of chronic vulnerability as described in the National Action Plan for the Reduction of Absolute Poverty (PARPA), which indicates a poverty rate of 54.1% (2002) for a total population of 20 million. Mozambique remains one of the least developed countries in the world, currently ranked 172nd out of 182 countries in the Human Development Index (HDI) ranking (2007). The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita (2007) is 364 USD. The underlying causes of Mozambique’s chronic vulnerability are: (i) weak infrastructure for basic services and (ii) the rapidly escalating HIV/AIDS pandemic that is weakening national capacities and considerably slowing the rate of development (HIV/AIDS Prevalence rate 16.2%).

Of all the four countries included in this guideline, Mozambique is the most vulnerable to hydro-meteorological hazards such as cyclones and associated floods in large inundation areas. Moreover, the floods caused by the drainage system discharge in the Indian Ocean, at the Mozambique coastline, are an additional hazard.

Mozambique is also located downstream of nine international river basins (Figure 2), of which the Zambezi is the largest one, followed by the Limpopo, Rovuma and Save along the seven major rivers that cross the country (Zambezi, Limpopo, Incomati, Licungo, Save, Buzi and Pungue), and its extent depends to a great deal on the amount of rainfall registered in the neighbouring countries, located upstream. Vulnerability is at its highest throughout the rainy season which runs from September to March.

Drought is the most frequent natural hazard and occurs every three to four years. Drought conditions are relatively chronic in the southern and central regions of Mozambique, and account for a large part of the vulnerability in the country due to their impact on food security and livelihoods. It is estimated that droughts contributed to the death of about 4,000 people between 1980 and 2000. The main problem is that affected populations do not have sufficient time to recover from the economic and social impacts provoked by droughts between one cycle and the next. While the situation has improved in recent years due to increased agricultural production and food security, communities are still suffering from the effects of the prolonged drought that began in 2003. In 2007, Mozambique entered a new severe drought period.

Mozambique lies on the southern end of the East African Rift Valley, although seismic activity is not frequent in this area. However, after an earthquake, measuring 7.0 on the Richter Scale, affected Manica Province in February 2006, INGC identified earthquake preparedness as a priority for contingency planning. The February 2006 earthquake killed one person in Espungabera, one in Machaze and two in Beira.