A look at the record of
natural
disasters in Mozambique shows that the country is particularly
vulnerable to
climatic hazards, most notably
drought,
floods
and
cyclones.
Meteorological records show that
flooding
usually occurs during the rainy season which falls mainly during the months of
October to April, with some slight variations across the country.
Flooding
has principally been confined to river valleys and low-lying areas where
drainage systems have either
failed
or do not exist. Records of
cyclones,
dating from 1946, show that they also mostly occur between the months of October
and April.
The main areas of incidence are along the
coastline
of Mozambique, with some occasionally moving inland. Historical references
to
drought show that the country habitually
suffers
from
extremely dry conditions approximately every ten years. Certain parts of the
country are more prone than others, notably the provinces of
Tete,
Nampula,
Niassa and
Gaza.
Recent past
emergencies,
especially the 2000 and
2001 floods,
were caused by record rains due to
unprecedented weather patterns involving
cyclones
(in 2000) and
storms linked to
La Niña, a
warmer Indian
Ocean ,
global warming and a peak of
natural
weather cycles. The current
humanitarian
situation on the other hand, has been provoked by
irregular and
insufficient
rainfall since the beginning of 2002 in most of the country's southern and
central regions.
Human
activity and changed patterns of land use also contributed to
worsening
the impact
of these events.
With more than two thirds of
Mozambique's
population
living below
the poverty line, such shocks can have
dramatic
consequences on the lives of the
affected
population. In the
Mozambican
context, this
vulnerability is now further complicated by the
enormous
social
impact that the high
HIV/AIDS
prevalence
has on individuals, their families and their communities. The national
HIV
prevalence rate is now 13%, but this hides huge variation between the
provinces,
with rates over 20% in some areas.
HIV/AIDS
has now been recognised by many as the fundamental and underlying cause of
vulnerability throughout the
Southern
Africa
Southern
Africa Region.
apadrinhar.wmv
bairro.wm
costura.wmv
creche.wmv
escola.wmv
fprofissional.wmv
source: unicef.org (September 2005)
Congregação das Irmãs Franciscanas Hospitaleiras da Imaculada
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