Zambezi River Basin

© Candice Bate, WWF

Cahora Bassa Dam at night.

Improve the lives of slum dwellers by 2020 The 15-year conflict from 1977-1992, and drought in some regions, caused significant migration to coastal and urban areas, which have continued to grow by more than four per cent per year although the war ended 20 years ago. Many people from rural areas joined other family members in the cities, thus expanding the overcrowded peri-urban areas. This trend is slowly being reversed through the development of amenities in rural areas as well as programmes to help families to resettle in their home areas. Although slum areas have increased slightly as a proportion of urban population as shown in Figure 4.29, the pressure on urban amenities is largely due to the general increase in urban population.

The elephant count showed a population of 14 000 in 2006 and this figure is increasing as more areas are studied, although the range area has been shrinking (SADC and SARDC 2008) before the development of the Mozambique- Tanzania elephant corridor. Access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation by 2015 The proportion of the population with access to safe drinking water has increased significantly to 56 per cent in 2009, from 37.3 per cent in 1997. The national target for 2015 is 70 per cent. The proportion of the population with access to improved sanitation has increased from40 per cent in 2003 to 45 per cent in 2009, with a target of 50 per cent for 2015.  Thus, Mozambique is likely to meet the 2015 targets for access to water and sanitation (Figure 4.28).

Access to clean water and improved sanitation in Mozambique

Proportion of urban dwellers living in slum conditions in Mozambique

Percentage

Percentage

70

74.0

60

73.5

50

73.0

40

72.5

30

20

72.0

10

71.5

0

71.0

rural

urban

rural

urban

1990

2001

1997 2003 2007 2009

Clean water Improved sanitation

Source: UNEP 2008

Figure 4.29

Source: Government of Mozambique 2009

Figure 4.28

95