The district of Chiúre is
located in the southern part of Cabo Delgado province and borders Nampula province
through the Lúrio River.
Chiúre is the most populous
district in the province, with over 300,000 inhabitants, distributed across six
administrative posts: Chiúre-Sede, Mazeze, Chiúre-Velho, Ocua, Namogelia, and
Katapua.
The majority of the
district’s population engages in subsistence farming, with a focus on
cultivating products such as cassava, maize, sesame, and beans. Additionally,
activities such as informal trade and illegal mining are also common.
The district is very calm
and welcoming, but its population is somewhat rebellious when it comes to
matters that do not concern them. In other words, it is a population that does
not tolerate jokes and, when it decides to act, does so with determination.
This tradition is evident in
all administrative posts, with each community, according to its tradition,
building its way of life for the collective well-being. In summary, the
population of Chiúre is beautiful, kind, with fun traditions, warm dances, and
a rich cultural heritage that passes down messages from the ancestors in modern
times.
Chiúre district is rich in
mineral resources. At least the mapped minerals include ruby, gold, tourmaline,
and graphite. There are reports suggesting the presence of iron ore, oil, and
even diamonds in the region, but so far, no proof has been found of these
minerals. Furthermore, Chiúre is home to a vast forest that extends into the
Quirimbas Park, covering the districts of Montepuez, Namuno, and Balama.
In terms of timber, the
district is rich in various species, with highlights being Umbila, Chanfuta,
and Jambir, which are widely used locally for furniture manufacturing.
Chiúre also has fertile land
for agriculture, which does not require fertilizers. The local population
produces large quantities of cassava, maize, sesame, and beans. Recently,
horticulture has been introduced, with the production of cabbage, lettuce,
kale, and tomatoes.
Despite its abundance, the
population of Chiúre faces major challenges in accessing basic services. The
healthcare system is inadequate, with many people having to travel long
distances just to treat simple ailments such as headaches, malaria, and
diarrhea.
The Ministry of Health has trained multi-purpose health agents (APES), but these agents often complain about the lack of medication or delays in the delivery of supplies, which further hinders access to healthcare. Pregnant women, for example, face difficulties in accessing prenatal consultations, and during childbirth, many resort to traditional midwives.
In the education sector, the situation is equally dire. Many schools lack adequate infrastructure, and children continue to study outdoors. An example of this is the Miralene Primary School in the Municipal Village of Chiúre, which has no proper classrooms, functioning only with mudbrick classrooms covered with grass, a situation that is repeated in other areas of the region.
Regarding water and
sanitation, the infrastructure is insufficient. The district only has two water
supply systems: one in the Vila Sede and another in the Katapua Administrative
Post, which is no longer functioning.
In Namogelia, the system is
still under construction. In most of the district, water is supplied through
boreholes, but due to the depth of the water table, in some areas, water is not
available during surveys. As a result, the population in these areas resorts to
river water, traveling long distances to obtain this precious resource.
To mitigate this situation,
some people suggest utilizing the region's rivers, such as the Lúrio River,
which has a large capacity for supplying the entire district, provided there
are financial resources to build dams.
The Megaruma River, the
second largest after the Lúrio, could also be an alternative, as long as the
necessary financial conditions for the implementation of projects are met.
However, all the people contacted by Mozanorte emphasized that the main obstacle
to these initiatives is the lack of funds, as building these dams requires
significant investment. (Celestino
Carlos)
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