Madgascar is suffering from floods, landslides and famine. Climate Change is the major reason.

Over the last week intense rainfall has pummeled the African island country of Madagascar. This has sparked multiple crises across the country’s central Analamanga Region.

24 lives were lost over the weekend, mostly in the capital Antananarivo where traditional houses collapsed, and others were swept away by landslides.

According to authorities, over 62,000 people have been affected in seven regions, including more than 58,000 in the Analamanga Region and its surrounding metropolitan area.

Meanwhile over 6,800 houses are under water and many others are at risk of flooding or collapsing.

Over 35,260 people have been forced to take shelter in 62 displacement sites established by the authorities, according to the National Office for Risk and Disaster Management.

The rains have also damaged roads and other infrastructure in that Region, including the water intake structure of the treatment station in Ambohidratrimo District.

Some parts of the national road connecting the capital to Ambatondrazaka in the country’s east were also destroyed, impacting transport in and out of Antananarivo.

Floods are common in Madagascar, especially in the rainy season between October and April. But this time in 2022, they have been exceptionally heavy.

Each year, the tropical country faces a period of intense and often deadly rains. In January 2020, heavy rains had caused 32 deaths and thousands of victims. In 2018, Cyclone Ava killed 51 people and left 22 missing. Two months later, tropical storm Eliakim had killed 20 people and left nearly 19,000 affected.

On top of it all, the country is also crippling with famine. 1 million people in the south are facing severe hunger. The World Food Programme (WFP) recently warned that the situation in southern Madagascar could become the first-ever famine caused by climate change.

The recent storms and rains are also due to climate change. Across Madagascar, heavy rainfall is expected to continue and could affect many regions in the days ahead, including Alaotra, Betsiboka, Mangoro, and Sofia, according to Meteo Madagascar and other weather services.


Down to Earth is Science and Environment fortnightly published by the Society for Environmental Communication, New Delhi. We publish news and analysis on issues that deal with sustainable development, which we scan through the eyes of science and environment.