Mozambique flooding

Mozambique’s worst flooding in 50 years led to impacts and effects that devastated the country and the people not only socially but also physically and economically too. In the table below I have separated the floods’ effects into Short term and long term effects: Short term effectsLong term effects Electricity Cut-off- Electricity was cut off due to the torrential water’s force that swept away the electricity transmission towers. Death and severe injuries- 100s died as a result of the floods, thousands suffered from water-borne diseases and dysentery. Transport – Transport is a major struggle in LEDCs like Mozambique and the floods made that worse by wrecking 620 miles of roads and railways and also damaging vehicles, moreover this made rescuing, distributing food, drinks and aid even harder.

Cleaning up the mess- All the debris and rubble left by the floodwaters which it gained through Hydraulic action and then traction or were ramshackle parts from buildings, took a lot of effort to manage and clear up, especially for Mozambique, being a LEDC country. Communication links broken- The communication links weren’t available everywhere in Mozambique in the first place so the residents didn’t get a warning. And by not being able to warn the people, more damages were made certain. Agriculture disrupted- Much of the land in Mozambique is dedicated to agriculture (62%) as it is a common job for Mozambicans. However, most of the crops were destroyed by the floodwaters, devastating the land owners and the country’s economic status further.

Shortage of food and water- Lack of food and water was a temporary problem. The water most people drank was contaminated, thus people became ill by diseases such as; Dysentery, Typhoid, Cholera, etc. Homes and Buildings destroyed- Buildings in urban areas (Maputo, Beira) were entirely destroyed by the flood and the cyclone. Rebuilding them could take years and a lot of money.