SEVERE flooding that swept across Zimbabwe during the 2025-26 rainy season has exposed infrastructure, sanitation and livelihood vulnerabilities in rural communities, an operational update by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has revealed.
According to the Department of Civil Protection’s Situational report in January 2026, rains during the 2025-26 season claimed 70 lives, injured 51 people and destroyed more than 1 000 homesteads.
The IFRC operational update highlighted that rainfall-related incidents isolated communities, restricted humanitarian access and further disrupted access to social services.
The assessment conducted in affected districts, including Beitbridge, Chiredzi, Chipinge, Chimanimani, Mutare, and Gwanda, found widespread destruction of homes and critical shortages in emergency response capacity following heavy rains and flooding.
“Zimbabwe Red Cross Society's assessment later confirmed the significant unmet needs with important vulnerabilities, especially in two provinces, Masvingo and Matabeleland South, that were most affected by the floods, with Beitbridge and Chiredzi receiving less assistance due to inaccessibility issues and resource constraints from the government, and these are areas where the national societies are yet to render any assistance despite the need,” it read.
According to the update, flooding and strong winds caused extensive damage to houses across informal settlements, semi-formal areas and villages, with more than 500 households in Binga, Mutare, Epworth, Gwanda, Beitbridge and Chiredzi experiencing partial or total destruction, including roof loss, structural collapse and severe wall cracking, forcing many families into makeshift shelters or overcrowded accommodation with relatives.
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It further noted that in rural communities, the damage extended beyond housing structures, with families also losing blankets, cooking utensils, clothing and sleeping materials.
“These conditions have left affected households exposed to harsh weather, overcrowding and heightened protection and health risks, underscoring the urgent need for emergency shelter assistance, including tarpaulins, plastic sheeting and complementary non-food items, with priority given to female headed, elderly headed and disability affected households with limited ability to self recover,” the assessment said.
The floods also disrupted livelihoods in Beitbridge and Chiredzi, where affected households lost maize stocks, livestock and income generated through subsistence farming, gold panning, and informal vending.
According to the report, cash and voucher assistance were being considered to help affected families to purchase food, pay for transport and temporary shelter materials.
However, access challenges remained a major obstacle in rural areas, as potential markets for vouchers are a minimum of 100 to 250 kilometres away, hence the need to consider the transportation of the commodities by suppliers to communities.
Public health risks also increased sharply following the floods, particularly in areas where sanitation systems were damaged and access to safe water was disrupted.
“Flooding has increased public health risks through stagnant water, damaged sanitation facilities and unsafe water consumption, which elevate the likelihood of water borne diseases while also increasing malaria risk due to mosquito breeding.
“Floodwaters have contaminated surface and groundwater sources and damaged or destroyed latrines, particularly in rural and low-lying areas and displacement settings, leaving many households without safe drinking water or adequate sanitation.
“In Chiredzi, 65% of assessed households lack access to functional latrines due to collapsed or flooded toilets, while nearly half rely on unprotected water sources and 50% report consuming unsafe water.
“In Beitbridge, sanitation gaps are pronounced in rural wards, where 40% of households lack latrine access and 29% depend on unsafe water sources, despite partial coverage by boreholes and council water systems that remain vulnerable to contamination during floods.”
The report underlined that these conditions presented an urgent public health risk, underscoring the need for immediate WASH interventions to prevent disease outbreaks.
It added that priority needs confirmed included the provision of hygiene kits, water treatment supplies and sanitation support.
The assessment also highlighted limited emergency healthcare capacity in affected districts, noting shortages of trained responders, first aid supplies and prepositioned emergency resources.
“Communities lack immediate response capacity, with limited access to basic emergency care amid strained health facilities.
“Current structures in the affected areas show shortages in trained responders and essential supplies to handle flood-related emergencies.
“Despite ongoing interventions, the assessment acknowledged that relief efforts continued to face serious operational challenges.”
The report added that damaged infrastructure, limited local response capacity and inconsistent coordination among humanitarian partners continue to hinder full coverage, particularly in hard-to-reach communities in Beitbridge and Chiredzi that are yet to receive adequate assistance.