Government prepares new appeal for flood relief donations

The Mozambican government was on Tuesday preparing for a new donors conference aimed at assisting efforts to repair damage from this year's exceptionally heavy flooding in the Zambeze River valley, LUSA has reported. The report said Maputo was expected to ask for funds in May to help resettle displaced communities, rebuild infrastructure and restore affected farmland. Donations would follow on last February's appeal, at the height of the floods, for US $30 million in emergency aid, the report said, adding that his year's crisis was not nearly as bad as the catastrophic flooding that affected central and southern Mozambique in February and March of 2000. The country's Disaster Management Institute had nevertheless estimated that 500,000 people had been affected by flooding in recent months, with more than 200,000 displaced from their homes, according to the report. Multi-sectorial teams were currently touring affected areas to assess the extent of the damage, the report said and Portugal's top aid official, Luis Amado, was due to arrive in Maputo for a two-day visit, during which he would formalise the donation of US $18 million in flood relief aid promised by Lisbon at the May 2000 donors conference.