and hurricanes are cyclical in nature, while earthquakes occur occasionally in the country. clxvii. The government has devoted considerable attention to mitigating the adverse impacts of natural disasters. The CRM was informed that the Council of Ministers, at its 32nd session on 4 December 2007, approved the following four action plans and objectives in order to reduce the negative impact of natural disasters in Mozambique: • • • • Strengthening the early warning system so that information can reach affected communities with minimum delay – this will involve the installation and/or rehabilitation of 15 synoptic stations to be evenly distributed all over the country at an anticipated cost of US$2.7 million; Strengthening capacities of agricultural producers to cope with climate change through the provision of drought-resistant seeds for cultivation; Reducing the impact of climate change in coastal zones; and Managing water resources under climate change. ccxvii. While the efforts so far are commendable, the APR Panel suggests that Mozambique should: • • • 3 Develop an appropriate climate risk management and adaptation strategy that would safeguard the natural resources and ecosystems; value the goods and services that they provide; and ensure their environmentally sound and sustainable exploitation, since the economy is highly dependent on natural resources; Strengthen the regulations governing the management of shared river basins with other SADC countries by setting up River Basins Commissions with a technical or scientific unit to carry out studies on the use of the basins aimed at alleviating poverty, in addition to protecting biodiversity and preventing or reducing the incidence of flooding; Strengthen the Natural Resource Information System (NRIS) by enhancing institutional capacity building for officials at the community, district, provincial and national levels to ensure effective management of the country’s environmental resources; to reduce to a minimum the negative impacts of climate change; and to implement environmental regulations. For example, owing to its geographical location, a significant proportion of the country near the coastal zone is subjected to extreme weather events. Tropical cyclones and depressions formed in the Indian Ocean cross the Mozambique Channel inland, affecting landmasses along the coastal zone. 4 For example, in 2007, out of an average total flow of about 216 km³ per year, only 100 km³ per year (46 per cent) were generated within Mozambique, while the remaining 116 km³ per year (54 per cent) originated from neighbouring countries. 35