The disaster in Mozambique has been classified as the deadliest flood disaster the African continent has ever seen. Over 600 people have been reported to have perished and many more are still missing following the catastrophic flooding in Mozambique earlier this year. It has been determined that a lethal mix of factors led to this tragedy.
The preliminary report on the devastating flood event points to aging infrastructure and missed warnings from weather forecasting services being integral components of the tragedy.
The focal point of the disaster was the treacherous Mhutabala River located in the central region of Mozambique. The massive amounts of rain brought on by the then-active tropical depression Idai caused the Mhutabala to overflow and spill onto the surrounding areas.
The deadliest aspect of the flooding, however, was not just the heavy rainfall but it was the failure of a number of aging dams that had been constructed along the river banks. The dams were not able to cope with the amount of water that had been released and thus, released even more flood waters downstream. This created a floodplains system which then spread out, covering entire villages in the area with flooding and mudslides.
Many of these aging dams had been built in the 1960s and were consequently in dire need of maintenance and renovation. Unfortunately, these essential changes were not undertaken by the Mozambique authorities, leading to the eventual catastrophic events that shook the country.
The disaster was further compounded by missed warnings from the Meteorological Services of Mozambique (MSM). The MSM had in the days leading up to the disaster issued warnings to the potentially affected areas but these warnings had gone largely unnoticed or unrecognised by many city and state authorities. Consequently, many citizens were not adequately prepared for the coming floodwaters and tragically, many of them became casualties of Mother Nature.
It is clear then, that the deadly mix of aging infrastructure and missed warnings could be held accountable for the tragic flood disaster that befell Mozambique. The countries authorities must move to swiftly review and update aging dam infrastructure, as well as ensure that citizens are made adequately aware of any coming natural disasters.
This is the only way to ensure that similar events do not occur again in the future.