The Androy region has been hit by heavy rainfall, causing significant damage. This is an unprecedented event in the deep south of Madagascar, as the region faced an exceptional rise in water levels.
“Floods were triggered following continuous rain on Thursday and Friday. Some villages remain submerged at this moment,” confirmed the regional head, Dr. Djiby Jean Berthinot Raharijaona, reached by phone yesterday evening. The region has recorded at least forty-three households displaced to schools for shelter. A resident reported that water levels reached one meter in some areas. Authorities are still counting the victims and do not yet have a final figure for those affected.
The livestock sector has suffered catastrophic losses. According to residents of Ambovombe, one of the hardest-hit communes, hundreds, if not thousands, of zebu, goats, and sheep have perished. “The herds, trapped in their enclosures without food, did not survive the combination of torrential rain and freezing cold. Others were struck by lightning,” explained Paubert Beyndrova, an Androy resident and Director of Communication and Culture for the region. The temperature dropped to 14°C, an unusual value for this area.
These torrential rains, accompanied by powerful gusts of wind, caused further damage. “Fences were destroyed, trees were uprooted, houses were damaged, and the national television antenna was toppled,” the source added. This meteorological phenomenon also impacted road traffic. “Several sections of national roads 10 and 13 remain underwater and impassable,” noted Paubert Beyndrova. The Andaboly stadium in Ambovombe is also submerged.
Most districts in Androy have been affected by this widespread phenomenon. On the ground, the need for food aid is becoming urgent, as emphasized by the regional head. As water levels have not receded in some inhabited areas, evacuation operations are also becoming a priority.
This phenomenon was exceptional for Androy. “We have never experienced downpours in the middle of August, and it was also very cold,” residents testified. Others noted they had never seen floods strike the region before. The General Directorate of Meteorology explains this by an upper-level depression that developed in South Africa and moved closer to Madagascar.
Captured & Published at: 2026-08-17 05:39:07 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/08/intemperies-des-inondations-frappent.html