Maputo, July 3, 2026 (Lusa) - The World Bank has made more than 990 million meticais (€13.5 million) available to support the rehabilitation of dykes and dams in river basins affected by the recent floods in central and southern Mozambique, it was announced on Friday.
The Mozambican Ministry of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources stated in a press release that emergency works to rehabilitate this water infrastructure will be carried out in the Limpopo basin in Gaza province, the Incomáti basin in Maputo, and the Búzi basin in Sofala – regions that experienced significant flooding at the start of the year.
According to the document, the works, funded by the World Bank and scheduled for completion in March next year, mark the “transition from an immediate response to a phase of resilient reconstruction”.
According to the ministry, more than 900,000 people required assistance after the 2025/2026 rainy and cyclonic season, which also affected public and private infrastructure, water supply points and agricultural areas. The works are intended to “address these impacts”, benefiting thousands of people across the three provinces.
“Upon completion, the works are expected to enhance protection for around 150,000 people and 20,000 hectares in the Lower Limpopo, 100,000 people and 10,000 hectares in the Incomáti, 180,000 people and 30,000 hectares in the Búzi, and around 500,000 people and 60,000 hectares in the areas affected by Massingir and Macarretane”, the document states.
Fernando Rafael, minister for public works, quoted in the press release, reiterated that the government was working to restore critical infrastructure, reinstate essential services, and restore safety to families affected by extreme weather events.
Rafael also called on communities to protect the infrastructure to be built, reporting illegal logging and settling only in safe areas, emphasising that “a dyke is not just earth, stone or concrete; it is protection, safety and organised community life”.
According to Mozambique’s government, the works are expected to reduce the risk of further flooding, protect agricultural areas, say that families will be safer, preserve public infrastructure and strengthen communities’ resilience to climate-related events.
The last rainy season in Mozambique resulted in the deaths of 314 people, affected more than 1 million people and damaged nearly 260,000 homes, according to the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD).
The figures cover the rainy season, which usually runs from October to April, and show that 249,053 households were affected nationwide during this period.
Reports indicate that 19 people remain missing, and 361 people were injured.
During this rainy season, 211,655 homes were flooded, 15,616 homes were completely destroyed, and 31,081 were partially destroyed.
The January floods alone – the most severe in several years – caused 43 deaths, 147 injuries and nine people missing, affecting a total of 715,716 people.
LCE/ADB // ADB.
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