Mozambique: New centre allows doubling of flood early warnings to six days

Mozambique inaugurated a flood forecasting command centre in Maputo on Wednesday, which, according to the government, will double the early warning period to six days, helping to protect more lives. “With technological improvements and coordination, we are moving from three to six days of advance notice, which creates a real margin for communities to react, for services to get organised, and to prevent loss of life,” said the Minister of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources, Fernando Rafael. Photo: Ministério das Obras Públicas, Habitação e Recursos Hídricos-MOPHRH The infrastructure was inaugurated this Wednesday in Maputo by the government as part of a project funded by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), valued at approximately $7.5 million (€6.5 million).

Rafael said that the country often experiences extreme events, such as floods, cyclones, and droughts, with severe impacts including infrastructure damage, human loss, and economic losses. “Prevention is not just a necessity, but an obligation we must fulfil,” he said, adding that the new command room will allow technical data to be transformed into clear alerts and concrete actions. According to Rafael, the system has stations for the interaction between atmospheric phenomena and surface water, hydrological forecasting models, and monitoring mechanisms, enabling improved institutional response and coordination between entities.

“The command room we are inaugurating on Wednesday is not a cosmetic room for visitors; it is a reliable management and decision-making instrument. This is where data and models are transformed into clear alerts, and clear alerts into prevention, evacuation measures, and the protection of critical infrastructure,” he stated. The minister also made several appeals, starting with the need for permanent operational discipline, underlining that equipment does not replace routines, data validation, and continuous readiness, and that the infrastructure must function with rigour even during periods without relevant occurrences.