The Mozambican Minister of Public Works, Housing, and Water Resources, Carlos Mesquita, has announced a project aimed at protecting the coastline of Beira, a city located in the province of Sofala in Mozambique.
The project will include the construction of approximately 100 hectares of retention basin in the Estoril district of Beira. This initiative, scheduled to be launched before the end of 2023, aims to address the issue of persistent flooding in the city.
To tackle the flooding problem, the Ministry of Public Works, Housing, and Water Resources is considering construction of spillway control stations equipped with gates, the establishment of the Estoril outfall and its outlet channel leading to the mouth of the Maria River, and the construction of bridges and service roads along the new drainage channels. Additionally, around 13 km of the existing drainage network will be rehabilitated to support the new system.
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Vegetation growth
The funding for this project will come from the Netherlands and the World Bank. The objective is to increase sanitation coverage, improve public health conditions, and enhance the environmental situation in Beira. The need for such measures was highlighted in March 2022 when heavy rains resulted in widespread flooding, causing hundreds of people to evacuate their homes and disrupting essential services like electricity and transportation.
Additionally, the authorities are planning to restore the dune belt that acts as a natural protection for the city by promoting vegetation growth. They will also protect coastal sections with rocks, construct a concrete protection wall in the Mangal area of Praia Nova, repair and reinforce the old wall in the same area, and build a Clay Dique in the Regulo Luis area of Estoril. These measures aim to further reduce the risk of flooding in Beira.
Furthermore, the project will benefit other towns in the Sofala province as well. It will establish an early warning system for disaster management and focus on building institutional capacity for the operation and maintenance of the newly constructed infrastructure. The project is scheduled for completion within 18 months.
