Mozambique Floods 2000

Case study to highlight the physical and human causes of the flood and how the risk and effects of flooding are managed in an

LEDC. You may have to compare this to the Cockermouth flood.

Case study to highlight the physical and human causes of the flood and how the risk and effects of flooding are managed in an

LEDC. You may have to compare this to the Cockermouth flood.

Location:

• Mozambique is located on the south-east coast of Africa. It is a relatively poor and undeveloped country

Timeline

• 9th Feb - heavy rainfall across Southern Africa - 26 dead in South Africa, 1000s had to flee homes in Maputo, especially those living in slums

• 11th Feb - Southern Botswana received 75% of its average rainfall in three days - UN state that 150,000 people are in immediate danger from lack of food and disease

Timeline

• 22nd Feb - Tropical Cyclone Eline hits the Mozambique coast near city of Beira, winds up to 160mph. 23,000 people have lost everything & South African Air Force flies aid to trapped people. Extra heavy rain storms during Southern Africa’s wet season.

• 24th Feb - Heavy rainfall and swollen rivers in rest of southern Africa bring in more water to Mozambique, great deal of country under water.

Timeline

• 27th Feb - Flash floods inundate low farmlands around Chokwe and Xai-Xai in Mozambique

• 2nd March - 100,000 estimated need to be evacuated and 7,000 trapped in trees– Floodwater levels have risen from 4 to 8metres in

5 days– International community begin to send in

reliefworkers and helicopters.

Pre-Flooding

During Flood

Storm Satellite Image

Flood Map of Southern Africa

Physical & Human causes of the flood

Physical Causes Human Causes

Continuous heavy rain for more than 5 weeks in Jan/Feb.

A total of 1163mm fell compared to an average of 177mm!

In late Feb hurricane Eline struck bringing more torrential rain.

Destruction of the grasslands in the high plateaus of southern Africa which normally act to soak up rainfall and release it slowly into the rivers.

Draining of the wetlands along the rivers for farming – these marshy areas normally store floodwaters.

Huge growth of urban areas in South Africa creating lots of impermeable areas.

Impacts of the flood

• Many 1000s died, 1 million homeless, huge loss of personal possessions and livelihoods.

• Disease and malnutrition were common in the months after the flood due to a lack of medical supplies, clean water and food.

• The few bridges and roads that were in the country were washed away – economic and social problems.

Further Impacts

• 90% of the country's functioning irrigation infrastructure was damaged. 1,400 square kilometres of cultivated and grazing land was lost, leaving 113,000 small farming households with nothing. 20,000 heads of missing cattle were wiped out.

• 630 schools were closed, leaving 214,000 students and teachers without classrooms. 42 health units were destroyed, including Beira Central Hospital.

• The Mozambican government requested $450 million in international aid at a donor conference held in Rome in early May, 2000.

How is the flood risk managed?Reduce flood risk Manage effects

River flow monitoring stations funded by the EU were built to give people warning about the floods, but the size of the floods washed these away so no warning was given to people.

There is no major flood prevention scheme or hard engineering in place because Mozambique can not afford it

International aid from charities like the Red Cross and MEDC governments.

US and UK army helped to rescue people in helicopters.

Huge refugee camps were set up for the homeless, but conditions in camps were poor – no sanitation, little food and lack of medical supplies etc

Poor infrastructure (lack of roads etc) made it difficult to transport supplies.

Why are LEDCs more susceptible to flooding?

• Money,• Lack of planning,• Reliance upon primary industry (agriculture)

to make money,• Deforestation,• Lack of infrastructure (roads, hospitals and

airports),• No emergency planning