intoaction 2 - flood-warning system in mozambique

IntoActionFlood-warning system in MozambiqueCompletion of the Búzi project

2June 2007

Munich Re FoundationFrom Knowledgeto Action

Published by the

IntoAction 2 / Flood-warning system in Mozambique

Contents

Floods in MozambiqueRed flag signals dangerSuccess factorsFlood-warning system a success!Chronology of Cyclone Favio 2007

LearningMeasuringWarningRescuing

About MozambiqueOur regional partners

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In Mozambique, asin many otherAfrican countries,women and girlshave to fetchwater. Distances ofsome 30 kilometresare by no meansuncommon.

Village life in Búzicentres on themain street. Theweekly market is inundated ifflooding occurs.

Project overview – Búzi project

DurationAugust 2005–December 2006

Budget50% Munich Re Foundation, 50% German Agency for Technical Cooperation

Continuation in Project SaveRio Save Machanga/Govurobis, as of April 2007

Project managementThomas Loster, Anne Wolf;on-site: Wolfgang Stiebens


In recent decades, there has been asignificant increase in flood disastersin many parts of the world, Mozam-bique being no exception. It sufferedits worst floods in recent history in 2000. At the heart of the country,thousands of square kilometres wereinundated and more than 700 peoplelost their lives.

This southeast African nation also hadto contend with floods at the begin-ning of 2007. Following weeks of rain,major rivers in Central Mozambiquesuch as the Zambezi and the Búziburst their banks. Many people losttheir lives in the worst floods theregion had experienced for six years.Thousands were left homeless.According to estimates by Mozam-bique’s National Institute for DisasterManagement (Instituto Nacional deGestão de Calamidades), some285,000 people in the Zambezi regionalone were endangered by floodingbetween December 2006 and January2007. Around 163,000 lost their huts,possessions and fields. 107,500 wereevacuated to emergency centres.

Floods in Mozambique

As the region isvery flat, floodstransform wholeareas into vastlakes in a matter ofhours. In 2000,people had beenforced to seekrefuge on bridgesthat protrudedabove the waters.

Not everyone madeit to safety; manydrowned in theflood waters.


Efficient warning systems are a vitalpart of any viable prevention strategy.The Munich Re Foundation’s Mozam-bique flood-warning system projecthas been involved in setting up asimple but effective early-warningsystem along the River Búzi since2005. Representatives of the GermanAgency for Technical Cooperation(GTZ), actively involved in the countryfor many years, developed a warningsystem adapted to the specific needsand skills of the people. The way itworks is remarkably simple: villageofficials take daily precipitation read-ings at strategic points along the Búziriver basin. At the same time, theymonitor clearly marked gauges on the river. If precipitation is particularlyheavy or the river reaches criticallevels, this information is passed onby radio. If reports reaching the con-trol centre indicate widespread heavyrainfall, the alarm is raised. The gaugesalong the river are vital monitoringdevices. Special training ensures that people are fully aware of the risk.Blue, yellow or red flags are raised depending on the flood-alert level and an army of helpers spreads thewarning by megaphone. Critical areasare evacuated.

Alert level Signification

Threat of storm-force windswithin the next 48 hours,and within 24 hours at theearliest

Storm-force winds andheavy rainfall within thenext 24 hours

Storm-force winds or threatof storm-force winds withinthe next six hours

Secure all items which could be torn loose by the wind (loose roofing materials, fences, scaffolding, aerials, outdoor furniture,plant pots, etc.) Factory premises: Take appropriate safety measures. Moor boats safely.

Secure doors and windows. Stock emergency food and watersupplies. Schools close. Factories stop work. Evacuate flood-proneareas as quickly as possible. Secure watercraft and fishing vesselsagainst storms. Heed the latest storm warnings.

Secure doors and windows. Take final safety precautions. Do not go outdoors. Roads and bridges also close. Round-the-clockradio bulletins.

Action

A number of villages located in theriver basin have set up local disaster-prevention groups helped by expertsfrom Honduras who have successfullyinstalled a similar community-basedsystem in their own country. TheCentral American experts preparedtraining material and coordinated the flow of information between thoseinvolved on village, district andprovincial levels.

Red flag signals danger

The map shows theRiver Búzi project.Precipitation andwater levels arerecorded and for-warded to thecontrol centre. A flood warning is issued if thereis widespreadheavy rain.

© Copyright 2006 DigitalGlobe, Inc. All rights reserved – includes material, Longmont/USA

Experienced project partnersExperts with years of experience inthe area of development cooperationmanage the project in the field. Theproject leader, Wolfgang Stiebens,sent to the area by German consortiumAmbero-IP Consult on behalf of theGerman Agency for Technical Co-operation (GTZ), has worked in the country for 15 years and knows thepeople and their needs.

PropagationAdoption of a successful scheme(from Honduras). Experts who haveset up similar flood-warning systemsin Central America have come toMozambique to train the people there. This avoids having to reinventthe wheel.

Testing and practice drillsRegular testing of the system as a whole and practice drills for everyone concerned at least once,every autumn, before the start of the rainy season.

OwnershipThe people along the river and thelocal government understand thesystem and are responsible for it.

Officials are selected and formallyappointed. This enhances their status,which helps to ensure that they taketheir duties very seriously.

Follow-up training for the officials and regular mustering of the villagecommunities so that people maintaintheir vigilance.

Success factors


Hand-drawn riskmap and satelliteimage. Moderntechnology can beused to verify theaccuracy of therisk and evacuationplans drawn up bythe local communi-ties and ensurethat individualperception of the

surrounding area is not significantlydifferent from thereality. The high-resolution satelliteimage shows thegeographical features aroundMuchenesa com-pared with the waythe people seetheir surroundings.


Flood-warning system a success!

An emergency drill marked the conclusionof work at Sofala on the Búzi. A viablewarning system was handed over to theDistrict Administrator – in time for theDecember to March rainy season.

+ + +

When the provinceof Sofala was struck by CycloneFavio, more than2,000 people alongthe River Búzi and their possessionswere evacuated to emergency accom-modation centres.


In the wake of Cyclone Favio, there weresevere floods along the river from 25February 2007. The different levels ofalert had been progressively issued from21 February onwards, using the availablemeans (radios, megaphones, etc). Peopleliving along the river then sought refugein areas less liable to flood.

+ + +

The Category 4 cyclone struck the Búziarea on the evening of 22 February. Strongwinds and heavy precipitation caused majordamage. In the villages along the river,precipitation readings regularly toppedthe 250 mm mark. The rivers rose rapidly.12,800 people were at risk, but they hadbeen well prepared. The district’s dis-aster-mitigation committee had alertedthreatened villages two days previouslyand announced evacuations. Despite initialresistance in Mandiri, Guara Guara andZindoga, for instance, the inhabitants ofthe danger zone were evacuated to safeareas in less than two days. Around 2,300people were taken to emergency accom-modation centres. The District Adminis-trator played a major part in coordinatingand directing the operations.

+ + +

On 25 February, low-lying areas along theriver around Búzi and parts of thedistrict capital were under water. Therewas extensive property damage. Manybuildings had lost their roofs. In all, fourpeople were killed and 76 injured in thedisaster zones, which extended fromVilankulos (in the province of Inhambane)to the River Búzi. Without the warningsystem, the figures would have been muchhigher.

+ + +

The deputy director of the INGC (NationalDisaster Management Institute) thankedthe helpers and singled out the SIDPABB(Inter District Operational Flood WarningSystem for the Búzi River Basin) forspecial praise.

+ + +


Chronology of Cyclone Favio 2007

Abridged version of the original floodreport drafted in February 2007 bySérgio Sional Moiane, head of thedistrict government responsible forthe Búzi:

20.02.2007 The district government re-ceives a blue-alert storm warning (cycloneapproaching within the next 48 hours)advising that severe Tropical Cyclone Faviois on its way. In the afternoon, the Búzidistrict government convenes a meetingin order to decide what action to take.The assessment and prognosis group ofthe SIDPABB (Inter District OperationalFlood Warning System for the Búzi RiverBasin) is asked to monitor rainfall andwater levels along the rivers.

+ + +

21.02.2007 The district government re-ceives a yellow-alert storm warning fromthe provincial government, indicatingthat Favio will arrive in 12 hours. TheCENCOE (disaster operation centre) dis-trict office is advised and accordinglyworking groups are formed. Using two-way radios provided by SIDPABB and thelocal community and the services of thelocal council, the heads of the adminis-trative centres and members of the local disaster-prevention committees are instructed to raise the warning flags and alert people to the approach of Cyclone Favio.

+ + + Cyclone Favio approaching + + + Evacuate Mandiri + + + Problems in Zindoga + + + Red alert + + +

Altogether some300,000 peoplewere affected bythe floods inCentral Mozambiquein the period be-tween December2006 and February2007, over halflosing personalpossessions.Bicycles in par-ticular are treas-ured possessions in the region.


The local disaster committees of Much-enesa, Inharague, Munamicua, Grudja,Begaja, Inhanjou, Estaquinha and Mamunjeraise the warning flags. They use trad-itional methods such as drums, whistlesand megaphones to ensure that people arealerted to the danger of the approachingcyclone. All administrative centres arewarned of the threat of a severe tropicalcyclone. Following the instructions thatare issued, people begin to leave thedanger zones and make their way towardspreviously identified safer zones by theirown means.

+ + +

22.02.2007 With Favio due to strike in sixhours’ time, the district governmentreceives a red-alert storm warning fromthe provincial government. Orders areissued that schools are to be closed andsafety measures taken. At around 7.30p.m., the Búzi district is devastated byFavio. Houses and electricity pylons are destroyed and the infrastructureseverely damaged.

+ + +

23.02.2007 Torrential rain is recorded.The district government monitors therising water levels in the upper reachesof the Búzi, Lucite und Revue using read-ings taken at SIDPABB gauge points inDombe and Grudja.

+ + +

24.02.2007 Rainfall on the upper reachesof the River Búzi basin increases in inten-sity. The water level suddenly rises, ex-ceeding flood-alert levels. The Búzidistrict government orders the manda-tory evacuation of the populations ofthe commune of Grudja and of the MandiriI and Mandiri II, Guara Guara and Zindogaareas of Búzi. There is initial resistanceon the part of the inhabitants.

Five boats, off-road vehicles and trac-tors supplied by the district governmentand private farmers are used in the evacuation. Regional Red Cross helpersperform sterling work in the local dis-aster-prevention committees.

+ + +

25.02.2007 Lower-lying, flood-pronezones in the Búzi district, including partsof the district capital, are completelyawash. All access roads to Búzi itself arecut off. The deputy director of the INGCpraises the work of the district govern-ment and local disaster-preventioncommittees.

+ + +

26.02.2007 Work begins on compilingdetails of the people affected and quantifying the flood damage. The lossesare dramatic but, without the disaster-prevention programme, things could havebeen much worse.

+ + +

+ + + Cyclone Favio approaching + + + Evacuate Mandiri + + + Problems in Zindoga + + + Red alert + + +


Learning

Awareness of the risks has to start at anearly stage – The photo shows the schoolin Búzi.

In rural areas, villagers gather in theshade of the trees to hear news from thecapital. The flood-warning drills also tookplace here.

Experts from Honduras were in charge ofthe special training programme. They wereable to contribute a wealth of experi-ence, having set up similar systems in theirown country. Photographs and maps areuseful visual aids.


Measuring

Precipitation levels are measured dailyand critical readings reported. The care-fully maintained plot set aside for themeasurement stations shows how seriouslyofficials take their work.

Child’s play: Red markings indicate thedanger levels along the river.


Warning

Critical levels are reported to the cen-tral analysis point in Búzi. If the riverreaches danger levels or there is wide-spread heavy rain, the alert is sounded.Coloured flags are hoisted and speciallytrained helpers set off on bicycles armedwith megaphones to warn people along the river.


Rescuing

The Búzi project also involves evacuationand flood-rescue drills on the river. In anemergency, people and possessions mustbe taken to safety as quickly as possible.

During the major floods of 2000, peopleoften sought refuge on bridges. In nextto no time, all available space was taken.This shows how important it is to have an orderly evacuation plan that usespredefined escape routes – as was thecase in February 2007.


Mozambique is one of the world’spoorest countries. Some 70% of itspeople manage on the equivalent of less than 40 US cents a day. Withonly about a quarter of the population(23%) living in towns, Mozambiquehas one of the lowest urbanisationrates in the world.

17 years of civil war, which ended in1992, and conflicts with South Africahave cost at least one million livesand laid waste to vast tracts of landand much of the infrastructure. Inaddition, the region is frequently hitby natural catastrophes.

The country has suffered severedroughts in recent years, in addition tohaving to contend with the cyclonesthat strike the southeastern part of theAfrican continent each year. Severalhundred people lost their lives in heavy flooding in 2000 and 2001 (whichalso affected the Búzi in CentralMozambique); many more lost theirlivelihoods.

About Mozambique

InsightsMozambique/Germany

Access to clean drinking water (%)

Illiteracy rate (%)

Number of kilometres of tarmac roads (%)

City 76

Male 38

19

Female 69

City/Countryside 100

Life expectancy in years

Days of rain per year in Maputo/Berlin

Radios/1,000 people

99

Less than 1

64

44

167

570

76 82

Male Female

40 41

Kilocalories/person/day

2 082 3 484

Mozambique

Area801,590 sq km

Population19.4 million

Population density24 inhabitants per sq km

Countryside 24


We make use of both existing struc-tures and the experience of renownedorganisations. The German Associa-tion for Technical Cooperation (GTZ)has been active in Mozambique since1998. It has implemented a compre-hensive programme designed topromote agricultural developmentand combat poverty. Experts from theGTZ and the World Institute for Dis-aster Risk Management (DRM) set upthe early-warning system with thehelp of local experts and institutions.The ownership factor plays a vital role in ensuring the support of thepeople of the Búzi District. Long-termsuccess relies to a great extent on thesupport and help of village elders,mayors and the District Administrator.Volunteers from Munich Re’s SouthAfrican office are also helping withthe project and were responsible formonitoring the situation.

Our regional partner

Partners

Picture creditsThomas LosterPages 2, 10 centre and bottom, 11, 12 bottom

Munich Re Foundation archivesPages 3, 8, 13 bottom right

Keller Maurer DesignPages 4, 14

Inter District Operational Flood WarningSystem for the Búzi River Basin (SIDPABB),Wolfgang Stiebens, Maputo/MozambiquePages 5 top, 13 top, 15

© Copyright 2006 DigitalGlobe, Inc.All rights reserved – includes material,Longmont/USAPage 5 bottom

Grant Neuenburg, ReutersPage 6

Reinhard Krause, Corbis/ReutersPage 7

Colin Griffiths, Munich Re South AfricaPage 10 top

Carolina Zeleda, Maputo/MozambiquePages 12 top and centre, 13 bottom left

DesignKeller Maurer Design, Munich

LithographyZG Reproduktionen, Munich

Printed byWKD Offsetdruck GmbHOskar-Messter-Strasse 1685737 Ismaning, Germany


Munich Re FoundationKöniginstrasse 10780802 München, Germany

Telephone +49 (0) 89/38 91-88 88Fax +49 (0) 89/38 91-7 88 [email protected]

Letters: 80791 München, Germany

© 2007Munich Re Foundation

ContactAnne [email protected]

Order number302-05422

intoaction 2 - flood-warning system in mozambique

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