Heavy rains during the month of January 2015 caused mass floods along the Chire River bordering the district of Morrumbala. The flooding led to nearly 3,000 families in the area fleeing their homes in search of safe locations including many from the district of Mutarara in Tete Province who crossed the river to find higher ground. In response to the emergency, the National Institute for Disaster Management (INGC) worked with local government to house internally displaced persons (IDPs) in already existent relocation communities within Morrumbala as well as establishing a number of new sites. Currently 2,889 families are living in 13 official relocation communities and three accommodation centers in the district.
A recent door-to-door registration campaign conducted by IOM identified a relatively large increase over previous IDP estimates which can be attributed to the inclusion of all displaced families living in the relocation sites, some of whom were not included in prior figures. Access to a number of sites remains a challenge as the reconstruction of bridges is still ongoing. The administrative post of Chire is particularly affected as four sites (Guente, Janasse, Miguel and Moni) remain inaccessible by vehicle from the district capital. IDPs indicate a desire to remain in their current locations as the majority of families in 13 sites stated an intention to reside permanently in their new communities.
As IDPs search for means of sustainability, the majority in 11 sites report that they continue to rely on food distributions while four sites indicated that their main source of food is through support from members of the neighboring community. The majority of IDPs in Morrumbala spend their days working in agricultural activities—displaced families in 11 sites noted that the primary occupation is farming while IDPs in four sites noted fishing activities. Families in Cafumbata-Muendathengo reported no daily occupation.
Recent efforts to drill new water points aim to alleviate problems with water access experienced by displaced families. In early May, IDPs in 14 sites indicated that they walk more than 20 minutes by foot to reach the closest water point. Further, IDPs in three sites (Guente, Janasse and Mone) retrieve drinking water from rivers and ponds. Additional sanitation concerns were demonstrated by only eight sites reporting more than half of families with private latrines as well as signs of open defecation being noted in 13 of the 16 sites within the district. Positively, all sites reported ongoing hygiene promotion campaigns within the community.