Chobe River floods entire region – Community in crisis

April 1, 2026

The Chobe River, pushed higher by the contributing Zambezi River, are at record high levels, flooding this very flat part of Namibia. Some locals say the highest levels since the 1950’s.

Communities are left to find refuge on what high ground is left, sharing these limited islands with the livestock and the wildlife that co-exist in this isolated eastern most tip of Namibia’s Zambezi Region. Cape buffalo and hippo frequent this limited space. Each island is infested with mice fleeing the rising waters – and that is the smallest of the colossal problem faced here.

Arriving Tuesday 24 March, I was shocked at the water level at the Ngoma bridge, linking Namibia to Botswana. Just three weeks ago I traversed this same bridge with flood plains underwater but cattle and the resident Burchell Chapmann zebra still able to live and graze there. Now, just three weeks later, I was met with a single sheet of water from the dune at the base of Chobe National Park, Botswana, into the Salambala conservancy as far as the eye could see into the tree line. The water level flowing under the Ngoma bridge has been steadily rising. From zero in December, 18 March saw 3.47 meters, 18 March 3.6 meters and then 3.95 meters by 25 March 2026.

Rain in catchment areas feeding these river systems keep coming down which means the water levels will carry on rising. Floods are expected to persist with the high water potentially lasting late into 2026.

Victoria Falls, receiving the water of the combined Zambezi and Chobe rivers, is at a record high of 4,090 cubic meters per second.

This up from one of its lowest recorded levels in the last two decades of 109 cubic meters per second in late 2019. To compare, this time last year the falls had a rate of 1,216 cubic meters per second. This means the level is four times higher in 2026 versus 2025 and forty times higher than its recent record low.

Several lodges have either closed low lying areas, now under water, or shut down completely.

Communities are completely cut off from roads – all under water and are restricted to travelling by boat between communities and towns. Most of these vessels “dug out canoes” or locally known as mokoros.

Human wildlife conflict is a daily occurrence now.

After dark on 25 March a man was attacked by a Cape buffalo in Kabulabula Conservancy and was badly injured. The only MEFT official in the area rushed to get him to the closest road access on a dark moon night by boat, later to be rushed by ambulance to a hospital in Katima Mulilo. His current condition is unknown.

On 26 March, two fishermen were attacked by a female hippo in the same conservancy and were lucky to survive their overturned boat. On Impalila Island there is a large hippo that has taken up residence in the school there. These animals have been declared problem animals by the MEFT. Several zebra and Cape buffalo have been observed by us having drowned in the rising water. Many Cape buffalo calf’s, recently born, will not survive the high water.