Highlights
Above average rainfall across many parts of Southern Africa is prompting concern “about the food security of the affected population in the poorer parts of the sub-region over the coming months,” the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a new report.
“With the rainy season still only halfway through, and with the cyclone season [in the Indian Ocean] due to peak in February, several agricultural areas along the rivers in southern African countries remain at high risk of flooding, including portions of Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa,” said the report, published on 7 February.
Cindy Holleman, FAO Regional Emergency Coordinator for Southern Africa, told IRIN that crops were being destroyed by floodwater, and also by excessive rainfall in areas not affected by floods.
“Precipitation is likely to exceed 50mm over the northern areas of Mozambique and Zambia, and parts of Angola. Zambia, Malawi and Angola are forecast to continue observing moderate to locally heavy rainfall,” the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in an update on the floods, published on 9 February.
“These same areas are predicted to be affected the following week (15-21 February 2011), but with lower probabilities. Based on this forecast, it is expected that localized flooding will continue to occur across the region, especially in Mozambique and Madagascar.”
Swaziland’s dams are almost full for the first time in five years, and floods have occurred in eastern Botswana as well as the drought-affected areas of southern Madagascar.
The worst affected countries so far are Mozambique, Lesotho and Namibia’s most northerly province, Caprivi, which has a very poor and vulnerable population.
OCHA said the Zambezi was still rising, albeit more slowly, and was “expected to reach 6m at Katima Mulilo, [provincial capital of Caprivi]. As at 8 February 2011, the Zambezi River at Katima Mulilo stands at 4.58m, compared to the average level of 1.80m for this time of year.”
OCHA said “the Cahora Bassa dam was releasing about 6,300 m3/s [cubic metres per second]“, and “as a result of the increase almost all stations along the Zambezi River are reporting above alert water levels. The current water inflow for this time of year is similar to what was observed in 2007 and 2001, which caused the inundation of large areas.”
The source article SOUTHERN AFRICA: Risk of food insecurity in wake of floods was published February 10, 2011 by IRIN .
