Flooding in southern Africa has brought devastation and death, displacing hundreds of thousands and claiming the lives of over 100 people. Zimbabwe has seen more than 70 fatalities, with South Africa reporting a tragic thirty deaths. Mozambique's Maputo province is bearing the brunt of the disaster, with its residents facing an influx of saltwater crocodiles.
The region has been plagued by extreme weather in recent years due to worsening climate change, resulting in catastrophic droughts and cyclones alongside increasingly torrential rainfall. The deluge of rain in South Africa prompted a mass evacuation from Kruger national park earlier this month. Mozambique's Limpopo River overflowed its banks, swallowing three people and leaving many stranded.
The animals have seemingly been swept into the area by floodwaters from South Africa. Residents are now being warned to steer clear of still waters as the crocodiles drift towards them. One person in Maputo was killed and two more in neighboring Gaza province.
WaterAid Mozambique director Gaspar Sitefane has expressed concern over the risks of cholera and other water-borne diseases in the makeshift camps housing nearly a hundred thousand people. "Most of these camps are not prepared to receive a lot of people, they don't have good toilets, places to deposit garbage," Sitefane said. "So for sure, soon we will have cases of cholera."
The region is also grappling with food security issues. About 60,000 hectares of farmland were lost to the floods and over fifty-eight thousand livestock died in Mozambique's disaster agency.
Aid funding has been slower than usual, with some developed countries slashing budgets for emergency response efforts. The amounts pledged have also been smaller, as many diverted funds to defense spending.
The South African government has established a recovery fund for the internationally renowned Kruger national park and is soliciting donations from international donors. Environment minister Willie Aucamp estimated that repairs to damaged infrastructure could cost up to 700 million rand (£32m).
The region has been plagued by extreme weather in recent years due to worsening climate change, resulting in catastrophic droughts and cyclones alongside increasingly torrential rainfall. The deluge of rain in South Africa prompted a mass evacuation from Kruger national park earlier this month. Mozambique's Limpopo River overflowed its banks, swallowing three people and leaving many stranded.
The animals have seemingly been swept into the area by floodwaters from South Africa. Residents are now being warned to steer clear of still waters as the crocodiles drift towards them. One person in Maputo was killed and two more in neighboring Gaza province.
WaterAid Mozambique director Gaspar Sitefane has expressed concern over the risks of cholera and other water-borne diseases in the makeshift camps housing nearly a hundred thousand people. "Most of these camps are not prepared to receive a lot of people, they don't have good toilets, places to deposit garbage," Sitefane said. "So for sure, soon we will have cases of cholera."
The region is also grappling with food security issues. About 60,000 hectares of farmland were lost to the floods and over fifty-eight thousand livestock died in Mozambique's disaster agency.
Aid funding has been slower than usual, with some developed countries slashing budgets for emergency response efforts. The amounts pledged have also been smaller, as many diverted funds to defense spending.
The South African government has established a recovery fund for the internationally renowned Kruger national park and is soliciting donations from international donors. Environment minister Willie Aucamp estimated that repairs to damaged infrastructure could cost up to 700 million rand (£32m).
this is just so sad to hear about southern africa going through this... i mean what's even more heartbreaking is how the floods are bringing back saltwater crocodiles 
and now people have to be extra careful not to get caught in them. and ugh the conditions in those makeshift camps are just horrific wateraid should get some serious funding ASAP 
the amount of ppl affected is insane 100k+ stranded & hundreds dying from cholera 
it's just so frustrating that developed countries r not doing more to help out financially too 
this flooding in southern africa is just heartbreaking, 100+ people dead & hundreds of thousands displaced 
its like the whole region is getting slammed with bad weather all at once. climate change is literally making everything a nightmare 
and get those funds to people who need them most! 
60,000 hectares of farmland lost? 58,000 livestock dead?! its just devastating for the farmers & their families 
. And don't even get me started on the living conditions in those makeshift camps... cholera and water-borne diseases are a real risk 
. The animals, yeah it's wild that they're getting swept into the area, but like what's the plan to deal with them? Get 'em outta there ASAP! 
how are they gonna recover from this?
. And now, we're seeing the consequences of our inaction.
. We need to take action to reduce our carbon footprint and mitigate the effects of climate change. It's not too late yet, but it's getting close 
.
It's like they're dumping all the info on the page without even caring about the layout 
. And on top of that, they're worried about cholera and food security issues... 
. Can't they just use some basic layout skills to make this info easier to digest?