The passage of extremely intense rain caused damage in several parts of Maputo Province in the first days of February. The most concerning situation occurred in the Boane district, where the water supply was severely affected.
It only took a few hours of rain upstream with great intensity in the Kingdom of Eswatini and Maputo for Boane to transform into a hectic river. The land, crops, housing, goods, and infrastructure were easily swept away by the force of the water. For us, the greatest losses were recorded in the Umbeluzi Water Treatment Complex, where water accumulated, submerging the catchment, part of the hydraulic organs, and the treated water cistern of ETA1.
Immediately, all the victims of the floods, men, women, and children, neighbors of the ETA, found refuge in the Station. Approximately 2000 people took shelter there, among them our colleagues. These people were still looking for basic services.
And it didn't take long for the inevitable to happen, given the floods: the ETA came to a complete standstill due to the fall of poles on the dedicated line that supplies energy from the public network to the station. This happened around 00:50h on February 9th, 2023. Immediately, the cities of Maputo, Matola, and Vila de Boane were deprived of the precious liquid.
