Maputo, Jan. 23, 2026 (Lusa) — More than 180,000 hectares of agricultural land are flooded and more than 150,000 head of cattle have been lost in the floods in Mozambique, the government has announced, reporting a slight reduction in the levels of some dams.
"186,735 hectares were flooded, including 100,472 hectares in Gaza province, in the regions of Chókwè and Massingir, 51,572 hectares in Maputo province and city, in the regions of Magude, Manhiça and Namaacha, 20,000 hectares in the province of Inhambane and 4,691 hectares in the province of Sofala, in the regions of Búzi, Gorongosa and Chibabava," said government spokesman Inocêncio Impissa in a daily assessment of the impacts of the floods in the country on Thursday evening.
With regard to the impact on the livestock sector, the government highlighted the loss of 55,835 head of cattle, 7,749 head of goats and 1,237 head of sheep in Gaza province alone, one of the most affected areas.
"The province of Maputo has recorded losses of 47,109 head of cattle, 23,372 goats and 7,920 pigs, affecting 4,337 farmers," said Impissa.
The government's assessment states that in the southern region, the Maputo, Umbelúzi, Incomáti, Limpopo, Inhanombe, Mutamba and Save river basins continue to record high flow volumes, and despite the reduction, they remain above the alert level and flooding continues in low-lying and riverside areas in the Umbelúzi, Incomáti and Limpopo basins, affecting residential and agricultural areas and restricting road traffic.
On the other hand, the Pequenos Libombos, Massingir and Corumana dams are recording a reduction in storage levels and may reach safety levels in the next 72 hours.
With regard to the Senteeko dam in South Africa, the Government said that the risk of flooding persists, as the dam's flows remain high.
In relation to the health sector, the government has established 49 medical posts in the provinces of Gaza and Maputo, which, as of Wednesday, had treated 1,305 patients, 495 with acute diarrhoea, 459 with malaria and 352 with acute respiratory infections, the spokesperson explained.
"In view of this situation, the health sector is strengthening epidemiological surveillance measures by monitoring endemic channels, as well as relocating medicines and other supplies to safe areas," he said, adding that 40,350 mosquito nets were also made available for distribution in accommodation centres.
At least 13 people have died and 585,627 have been affected since 7 January in the widespread flooding in Mozambique, according to provisional data from the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD).
According to the INGD database, consulted by Lusa and with data up to 3:30 p.m. (13:30 Lisbon time) on Thursday, the floods in various parts of the country have affected the equivalent of 127,486 families, with 2,867 houses partially destroyed, 743 totally destroyed and 71,560 flooded.
Since the beginning of the rainy season in October, including the last two weeks of flooding, 124 people have died in Mozambique and 723,532 people have been affected, according to the INGD.
In Maputo, National Road 1 to the north and National Road 2 to the south remain impassable due to rising waters.
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