Mozambicans flee floods

Up to 80,000 will have to be evacuated in five days

Urgent efforts are under way to evacuate 80,000 people threatened by flooding on the Zambezi river.

Under threat are two towns downstream from the biggest hydro-electric dam in Mozambique, the Cahorra Bassa dam.

Dam engineers have doubled the amount of water they are releasing into the river in the past week after heavy rain in Zambia and Zimbabwe left it dangerously full

Officials are warning they may have to open more flood gates.

If we have 10 helicopters we will be in a position to do a good job of evacuation

Mozambican official Silvano Langa

Aid organisations say 10,000 people have already arrived at camps in the central town of Caia, where food supplies and tents have been prepared.

More are expected to arrive on flights organised by the United Nations World Food Programme.

But a BBC correspondent in Mozambique says the country's fate depends not only on the weather, but on how far its neighbours control their own floodwaters which flow into the Cahora Bassa.

More than 77,000 are homeless and at least 41 have died so far.

But relief efforts are hampered by a lack of resources, with only one Mozambican army helicopter currently working in the danger area.

"Our major concern is Marromeu and Luabo where there are around 80,000 people," said Silvano Langa, director of the National Institute for Disaster Management.

"If we have 10 helicopters we will be in a position to do a good job of evacuation," Mr Langa said.

South Africa is sending aircraft and medical personnel to aid the flood relief effort.

Pretoria will also provide food and medical supplies in an operation expected to cost Rs2m ($256,000).

It follows an appeal by the Mozambican Government last week for $30m in flood aid.

The current disaster comes only a year after another set of floods caused widespread devastation.

Neighbouring Malawi is also severely affected, with at least five people having died and over 200,000 believed to be displaced.

Under pressure

Americo Muianga, Mozambique's national water director, said that the Cahora Bassa dam was spewing out 7,500 cubic metres per second, but it was receiving 11,000.

Water from the dam is flooding more areas

"It is at full capacity now already and there is no extra capacity, so it needs to release water otherwise we will have a security disaster if the dam infrastructure remains under pressure," Mr Muianga said.

While some 200 boats are also involved in the evacuation exercise, the surging currents are making them less efficient.

The floods have cut off the main road from the port of Beira to the town of Caia near the Zambezi River.

Rains have washed away roads and bridges in the provinces of Zambezia and Sofala, hampering efforts to distribute aid by road.