Africa

Increasing extreme rainfall and rapid urbanisation, major drivers behind Gaborone’s deadly floods

Gaborone, Botswana - February 20th 2025: Flooding of the Segoditshane river in Gaborone, Botswana, Africa. Bashi Kikia / Shutterstock.com.

In mid-February 2025, southern Botswana and eastern South Africa were hit by heavy rainfall, sparking severe flooding across the region. The floods claimed at least 31 lives, including 22 in KwaZulu-Natal (Mhlophe-Gumede, 2025), near Durban, and at least nine in Botswana’s capital, Gaborone, amongst them six children (Government of Botswana, 2025). At least 5,000 people … Continue reading “Increasing extreme rainfall and rapid urbanisation, major drivers behind Gaborone’s deadly floods”

Women and girls continue to bear disproportionate impacts of heatwaves in South Sudan that have become a constant threat

A women collects water in Juba, South Sudan. Image by Rod Waddington.

Extreme heat has affected a large region of  continental Eastern Africa since mid-February. Extreme daytime temperatures have been recorded in South Sudan particularly affecting people in poor housing and outdoor workers, a very large part of the population.  After dozens of children collapsed with heatstroke in Juba, schools were closed for two weeks nationwide starting … Continue reading “Women and girls continue to bear disproportionate impacts of heatwaves in South Sudan that have become a constant threat”

Conflict, poverty and water management issues exposing vulnerable communities in Africa to extreme floods that are now common events because of climate change

A man in a white red cross bib assists a woman walking next to floodwaters in Chad.

The rainy season from July to September 2024 was marked by extremely heavy and sometimes unprecedented rainfall in large parts of the Sahel region, leading to catastrophic flooding in Sudan in August and in Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon in September. In total more than 2000 people lost their lives and millions were displaced.