One of the major lessons from the devastating floods in Mozambique in 2000 and 2001 was the importance of a strong co-ordination institution to make the best use of the efforts and resources of the various other institutions that deal with the floods at the central/national level and at the regional/provincial/local levels.
At the central/national level, the main institutions involved with management of the floods are the INGC – National Institute for Disaster Management, the INAM – National Meteorological Institute and the DNA – National Directorate of Waters. Other institutions that also have a role to play in flood management at the national level are ANE – National Roads Administration, the DNHA – National Directorate of Agricultural Hydraulic and the CFM – Public Railways and Ports.
At the regional/provincial/local levels, the main institutions involved are the Provincial Governments, the District Administrations and the ARAs – Regional Water Administrations (presently, only the ARA Sul and the ARA Centro are in place while the ARA Zambeze will be fully operational till the end of the year.
In the planning stage, it is essential to establish an integrated planning for flood management, co-ordinate the tasks to be executed by the different institutions at the central and local levels, monitor its implementation and report to the Council of Ministers on the preparedness of the country to face floods of various magnitudes in the major flood prone basins. It implies that it will have to analyze with each of the other institutions dealing with floods how their specific role in relation to floods is being dealt with.
A new institution to be eventually created – National Office for Flood Management (Gabinete Nacional de Coordenaзгo para Cheias) is not aimed at replacing any existing institution or assuming some of their functions. Its main tasks involve a planning stage and an operational stage.
When a flood is to occur in one or several basins, this National Office will then enter into the operational stage, again mobilizing the resources of the various institutions involved but ensuring smooth and effective co-ordination of efforts on hydrological issues (rain and river flow measurement, flood forecast, dams operational, dykes surveillance, etc).
|
Related documents