Attachments
Severe ooding occurred across Botswana in February 2025 following prolonged and intense heavy rains, which triggered widespread inundation aecting an estimated 190,343 people (30,524 households). The crisis was intensied by the overow of 8 out of 9 major rivers and signicant dam overows—Bokaa (119%), Gaborone (105%) and Shashe (125%)—which heightened the scale and severity of the ooding.
The most aected areas included Gaborone, Kgatleng, Ghanzi, Tlokweng (South-East), Francistown, Kweneng, and Boteti, where communities experienced extensive damage to homes, schools, roads, commercial centres, and agricultural land. In Gaborone alone, 79,567 people were aected, with major disruptions due to damaged bridges, ooded commercial hubs such as Molapo and Riverwalk malls, school closures, and widespread power outages.
Other districts faced similar impacts, including school disruptions in Kgatleng, signicant crop and livestock losses in Ghanzi, and housing destruction in Tlokweng. Across the country, 2,318 people were evacuated, with 402 individuals remaining in evacuation centres as of 2 March 2025, and 9 fatalities were recorded—two elderly men and seven children.
The situation was further compounded by earlier shocks, including storms in late 2024, ooding in January 2025, and the ongoing El Niño‑induced drought, all of which had already weakened community resilience and stretched national response capacities. In light of the escalating humanitarian needs, the Botswana Red Cross Society (BRCS) launched a DREF operation from April to August 2025, delivering multi-sectoral assistance—including cash, shelter, food, WASH, PGI, CEA, and psychosocial support—in complement to government-led relief eorts.