Beira, Mozambique – Albano Joze, stares blankly at a group of fishermen casting their nets in shallow waters on the coast of the Indian Ocean, near Beira, Mozambique’s second largest city.
He kicks a lump of soil and shakes his head in frustration.
“I have been living here for more than 10 years, but I have never seen this sea as violent as it is these years,” says Joze, an informal trader in the city, which is just a few metres above average sea level.
“One night I woke up to find all rooms in my house filled with water and most of my household property was destroyed”.
Most settlements in Beira, which is on the Mozambique Channel, are poorly planned, and houses are badly built, leaving many at risk during floods.
Do you think our gods are angry? We hope this problem of floods will go away soon
ALBANO JOZE, BEIRA RESIDENT
Daviz Simango, Beira’s mayor since 2003 and an influential politician, has previously claimed that water-borne diseases such as malaria, and even in rare cases cholera, pose a serious threat.
“Every year we are experiencing violent storms and floods which are making our lives difficult,” Joze says with a weary sigh. “We can’t move away from the sea because our lives depend on it, one way or another.”
He traverses the breadth and length of the coastal area in Beira selling an assortment of wares, mostly to fishermen.
“I’m not a fisherman but these fishermen are my customers, and I can’t imagine leaving this place. How will I survive if I leave?
“Do you think our gods are angry at us for whatever reasons? We hope this problem of floods will go away soon”.
But the problem is not going away anytime soon.
aljazeera.com