Wednesday 20 June, 2001
Mozambique Revisited
In early 2000, heavy rains and flooding triggered by a wave of tropical cyclones ravaged Mozambique. Relief workers rescued people stranded on rooftops, trees and land. Hundreds of people died; over one million were left homeless.
The floods washed out stretches of roads, railways and bridges shattering the infrastructure of this Southeast African country. Rising waters also wiped out homes and crops; water and sanitation services became inaccessible.
Mozambique was still reeling from the long-term effects of the disaster when BBC World Service correspondent Teresa Guerreiro travelled to the region. Recently, an account of her visit, titled Revisiting Mozambique, won Guerreiro best Radio News Award of the year at the One World Media Awards 2001 ceremony in London.
The Cost
Southern Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia and Madagascar were also severely affected by floods but Mozambique bore the full impact of rising waters.
In Revisiting Mozambique, Guerreiro said the floods cost Mozambique: 'US$275 million in direct damage and US$250 million in indirect damage.' She obtained the estimate from The World Bank.
A September 2000 report published online by The World Bank, also stated:
'In total, 700 people died; 491,000 were displaced; 20,000 cattle were lost; 140,000 hectares were inundated; and 52 health facilities (four hospitals) and 500 primary schools were significantly damaged…'
'Bank staff estimate…the cost of reconstruction to improved (more flood-resistant) standards at about US$430 million.'
Reconstruction
As the waters receded, the long task of reconstructing Mozambique's infrastructure became imminent. The country was faced with urgent needs - constructing homes to resettle refugees living in makeshift accommodation; improving roads and rebuilding bridges to circulate traffic, goods and foodstuffs; and rehabilitating dykes and a network of irrigation canals for the hard-hit agricultural sector.
In the capital Maputo, Guerreiro spoke to Emmanuel de Casterle, permanent representative in Mozambique for the United Nations Development Programme. He outlined the tasks involved in putting the country back on track.
The easiest phase of the reconstruction programme was repairing the roads, he explained. However, the bulk of the work required resources and technical expertise.
| '…reconstructing dykes, major works on electricity lines, railways, bridges. That is not something you do in two minutes. There's a lot of money involved, there's a lot of engineering involved…and not much will be done before the wet season stars again.' | |
Eking Out A Living
One of the most moving moments in Guerreiro's report is her meeting with an elderly lady in the Gaza province. The frail lady was eking out a living in a makeshift shelter, sleeping within a series of vertically-placed sticks covered with plastic sheeting.
A victim of the floods, she had been living there for months and was waiting to be transferred to a home made out of cement blocks. Surrounding her were her meagre possessions:
| 'A tin cup, a tin plate, a couple of buckets, a few rags. Just waiting for something to happen. And now it has. She will be moving into the house very, very soon.' | |
The elderly lady was set to receive a home constructed by the Mozambican non-profit Foundation for the Development of the Community, or FDC. The private institution has assisted thousands of destitute families by rebuilding and developing communities in the flood areas.
Since the floods of early 2000, FDC has built schools and clinics, and installed waterpumps.
To date, the organisation has spent US$1.6 million in the construction of 336 houses for the elderly, the disabled, women heads of families, and families headed by orphans.
It has also built four primary schools in the Chokwe district for US$ 240,000. In the north, and for a total cost of US$210,000, FDC has installed 30 waterpumps.
The FDC builds homes with cement blocks and corrugated sheets of metal, which are more resistant to the force of water than traditional mud and straw huts.
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| 15th Media Awards |
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The One World Media Awards 2001 is an annual event. It seeks to recognise the achievements of professionals in the UK's Radio, TV and Press media.
This year, the ceremony held at the Marriott Hotel, London, offered a dozen categories including TV documentary Award, TV News Award, Lifestyle Award, Radio News Award, Radio Documentary Award and New Media Award.
Forty eight jurors were appointed to make the selection.
Teresa Guerreiro, of BBC World Service, received the Radio News Award for Revisiting Mozambique, a report on that nation's long road to recovery after the devastating floods of early 2000.
Her report was originally broadcast as part of The World Today programme.
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