Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM) has announced that it has recovered 95% of the electrical infrastructure destroyed by cyclone Chido in Cabo Delgado province. The information was provided by the director of EDM in Pemba, Hermínio Assamo, in an interview with Rádio Moçambique on Thursday, January 30.
According to Assamo, the replacement work is progressing well, with only 40 kilometers of the medium-voltage network remaining to be fully restored. Pending work is concentrated on the Muepane-Impire section, in the Metuge district, and in the Nipataco region, in the Ancuabe district. Total completion is scheduled for mid-February.
In the Mecúfi district, one of the worst affected by the cyclone, power has already been restored, with only a few communities still to go. “Our focus now is on restoring medium voltage, especially in Metuge, where we still need to restore six Transformer Stations (PT) in the penitentiary area. By tomorrow, we believe we will be able to supply this area, as well as the village of Niesse,” explained Assamo.
In addition, EDM has already restored power in Morripa, where it is working on restoring a second PT, and in Tutuque, where 28 low-voltage connections have yet to be completed. In all, 76,000 of the 80,000 customers affected by the cyclone have now regained access to electricity.
Cyclone Chido hit Mozambique on December 15, causing rainfall of more than 250 millimeters in 24 hours and winds of up to 120 km/h. In Cabo Delgado province, the worst affected districts were Mecúfi, Metuge, Chiúre and Pemba, followed by Namuno, Montepuez and Balama. An estimated 272,000 people were affected.
According to the National Institute for Disaster Management (INGD), the cyclone caused 120 deaths, 868 injuries and significant damage, including 70,000 houses destroyed, 52 health facilities affected and damage to 250 schools.
