Severe flooding in Mozambique has affected more than half a million people following heavy rains in the first weeks of the new year, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The situation continues to worsen as floodwaters persist and dams keep releasing water to prevent structural failure, causing the number of affected people to rise steadily. Gaza province has been hit hardest, alongside Maputo and Sofala provinces.
OCHA officials highlighted the country’s high vulnerability due to housing conditions, noting that around 90 percent of Mozambique’s population lives in adobe homes. These earth-based structures are highly susceptible to prolonged rainfall and can collapse after just a few days of heavy rain, leaving families exposed and displaced.
Critical infrastructure has also suffered extensive damage. Health facilities and roads have been severely impacted, with approximately 5,000 kilometres of roads damaged across nine provinces. This includes the main highway linking the capital, Maputo, to the rest of the country, which is currently inaccessible, disrupting supply chains and limiting access to essential goods and services.
Although rainfall has begun to subside in some areas, dams continue to release large volumes of water, intensifying flooding downstream. The force and scale of the water discharge have caused widespread destruction, compounding risks to communities and infrastructure already weakened by weeks of heavy rain.
In response, the Government of Mozambique has declared a national emergency and established an emergency operations centre in Gaza province. The city of Xai-Xai, located near the Limpopo River, has been inundated, forcing evacuations. Authorities have issued public alerts for flooded urban areas, including warnings about crocodiles entering populated zones as river levels rise.
The floods are also creating serious public health concerns. UNICEF has warned that contaminated water, disease outbreaks, and malnutrition are forming a deadly combination, particularly for children. Even before the floods, chronic malnutrition affected four out of every ten children in Mozambique, leaving many already vulnerable to illness.
Disruptions to food supplies, healthcare services, and caregiving practices are increasing the risk of severe illness and death among children. UNICEF officials stressed that Mozambique is entering its annual cyclone season, raising the threat of a second major crisis if additional storms strike while flood impacts persist.
With a very young population and an average age of just 17, Mozambique’s children are disproportionately affected by recurring floods and cyclones. UN agencies have emphasized that while disease outbreaks and child deaths can still be prevented, rapid and coordinated action is essential to avoid long-term and irreversible harm.
