Women and children in Mozambique’s Gaza province continue to walk for hours to reach water sources, while risks of exploitation and insecurity persist in areas affected by earlier this year’s floods — even as resettlement planning has progressed, according to an official report by the National Disaster Risk Management and Reduction Institute (INGD) and its humanitarian partners.

The assessment, carried out between May and June this year, covered 14 potential resettlement sites across the districts of Bilene, Chibuto, Chókwè, Guijá, and Massingir in Gaza province — the region most severely affected by flooding that struck southern Mozambique at the start of the year, according to news agency Lusa, which reviewed the document.

The sites were evaluated against criteria including water availability, security conditions, access to basic services, and suitability for agricultural activity. However, the report found that in several of the areas visited, resettled families continue to travel long distances — in some cases taking several hours — to reach safe drinking water, a situation that exposes women and children in particular to security risks, including exploitation and violence.

According to INGD, the reliance on women and children for water collection is a longstanding reality, but the floods have significantly worsened it by destroying wells, boreholes, and other water infrastructure in communities’ original locations, while displacing populations to sites where adequate water access has not yet been fully established.

The report further highlights that insecurity along the roads and paths connecting resettlement sites to water sources represents an additional concern, particularly for women and girls, who are rendered more vulnerable to harassment, abuse, and exploitation.

Despite these challenges, INGD and its humanitarian partners assess that resettlement plans have recorded ‘significant progress’, with new sites identified and prepared to accommodate displaced families. Nonetheless, the report recommends accelerating the construction of water supply and sanitation infrastructure, as well as strengthening protection measures for women and children in the affected areas.

The floods that hit southern Mozambique in early 2025 displaced thousands of families across Gaza province, a region that has been repeatedly struck by extreme weather events — including floods, cyclones, and droughts — deepening community vulnerability and straining the response capacity of authorities and humanitarian organisations.