Mozambique: Ministers Visit Areas Ravaged By Bush Fires
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Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo)
8 September 2008
Posted to the web 8 September 2008
Maputo
Mozambique's Ministers of State Administration, Lucas Chomera, and of Agriculture, Soares Nhaca, on Monday are overflying areas in the central provinces of Manica, Sofala and Zambezia ravaged by bush fires, in which at least 32 people are known to have died.
According to Monday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias", the ministers' mission has been ordered by President Armando Guebuza to verify the damage done by the fires, and to study methods to control such disasters.
The worst-hit province is Manica, and on Sunday provincial governor Mauricio Vieira announced that about 1.4 million hectares of forest have gone up in flames since 1 September. That is 21.8 per cent of the total surface area of Manica.
18 people have died in Manica, and 1,503 houses have been destroyed. 1,048 peasant barns, with all the food they contained also succumbed to the fires. Vieira said that was the food supply for the coming months for 10,000 people.
Also destroyed were 14 classrooms, three churches, one flour mill, and one district office belonging to the ruling Frelimo Party. 80 domestic animals (cattle, goats and pigs) died in the flames.
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The number of people in Manica arrested for starting the fires has now risen to seven. In the dry season fire is frequently used to clear land for planting, or by poachers as an easy way of hunting. Vast areas of bush are set on fire every year - but this time the disaster was worse than usual because of the high winds experienced across central Mozambique on 1-2 September.
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