Sofala, Mozambique 30 January 2023- More than three years after cyclone Idai and Keneth hit Mozambique in 2019, much of the country is still trying to recover. An example of such recovery taking place is being witnessed in the lower Beira corridor, in Sofala Province, along the Busi and Pungue river basins. 

As the area is among the most affected areas and suffering from chronic vulnerability to cyclones and floods, the ongoing efforts for resilient recovery will help transform the rebuilding process into an opportunity to increase socio-economic resilience and value the natural and historic heritage, as well as address the root causes of vulnerability and risk reduction against future disasters.

Recently, a  technical mission of the consultancy providing solutions for natural and built assets, ARCADIS Global has been conducted in the lower Beira corridor, whose contributions and recommendations will support the sustainable and resilient use of the territory in a post-disaster context through integrated approaches to build back better and build resilience for future disasters in a long run.

The ARCADIS technical assistance will produce risk maps, hazard modelling, scenario-based risk assessment, and formulation of an ‘Integrated Territorial Framework’ for the creation of a network of Support Platforms comprising public buildings that will serve as schools, community warehouses, markets, and health centers that can become safe shelters during cyclones and floods, with the aim of providing recovery support to populations lying the lower Beira Corridor, in Sofala Province.

Commenting on the project, United States ambassador Peter H. Vrooman said, “Mozambique is one of the countries most vulnerable to natural disasters, which have worsened in recent years due to climate change. This investment in multi-purpose infrastructure is an investment in resilient communities to help save lives and livelihoods”.

These products will be used from the perspective of promoting the approach “Living with floods and cyclones”, contributing transversally to the ongoing initiatives implemented by UN-Habitat, in particular, the projects “BBB and building resilience: an integrated approach for Central Mozambique”, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), implementing jointly with FAO; “Resilient multidimensional recovery in Ibo and Buzi”, funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), implementing jointly with UNESCO and “Technical assistance in reconstruction Resilient Housing and Human Settlements”, funded through Post-Cyclone Idai Reconstruction Office (GREPOC) with World Bank funds.

In light of supporting the resilient recovery of the areas and people strongly affected by the cyclones, UN-Habitat has been engaged in mobilising resources for post-disaster recovery and reconstruction in a more resilient way.

As such, in 2019 UN-Habitat developed the so-called Post-Cyclone Building Back Better and Resilience Building Umbrella Programme that would lead its efforts to mobilise resources to support a post-cyclone resilient recovery of the Center of Mozambique, the area strongly affected by the Cyclone Idai.

In 2021, Grants have been approved by USAID, AICS, and the GREPOC through World Bank funds among the more relevant, to support projects that work towards Resilient Reconstruction in Sofala Province, in close coordination with all authorities at different levels, community organizations, implementing partners and private sector.

UN-Habitat proposed a territorial integrated approach that works on multi-stakeholder and multi-scale levels, concentrating on the lower Beira corridor area, including the districts of Buzi, Dondo, and Nhamatanda and reaching the community level; participatory plans are formulated based on mapping and solutions, then used to implement infrastructures for disaster risk reduction and local development.