Project Completed: Increased preventive Flood-Control-Mechanisms for the Sofala Province in Mozambique

Despite the challenging circumstances of a global pandemic, HYDROPHIL has recently completed an Austrian Development Agency (ADA) funded “Increased preventive Flood-Control-Mechanisms for the Sofala Province in Mozambique” project.

A catastrophic event, Cyclone IDAI, was the main reason for this assignment. Cyclone IDAI flooded an estimated 3,000 sq. km of land; as a result, more than 1.5 million people have been affected, from which over 1600 have been injured, and more than 600 people died.

The key objective of the assignment was to define “Action Packages” to increase preventive and cross-border Flood-Control-Mechanisms in Mozambique and Zimbabwe – with a focus on the Buzi, Pungwe, and Save Basins. This assignment’s main deliverables were a Final Report and a Scoping Assignment on “Increased preventive Flood-Control- Mechanisms in the Province of Sofala/Mozambique. ”

The start of this project coincided with the introduction of widespread Covid-19 travel restrictions around the world. Just the day before the planned first mission to Mozambique, HYDROPHIL had to cancel the trip due to Covid-19 travel restrictions. A scoping mission without missions?! Was this even possible?! It was! It was possible due to the following combination of elements: modern technology (Skype, Teams, Zoom, etc.), excellent support of local experts, and solid cooperation with all relevant stakeholders. Due to the use of modern technology, it was even possible to organise a Validation Workshop with participants from different Mozambique regions, Zimbabwe, and Austria – without flights and the carbon footprint that comes with it!