City Council Warns Residents To Leave CBD Early As Flash Floods Swamp Harare

Harare City Council has issued an urgent directive for residents to exit the central business district  early ahead of evening traffic, following a fresh wave of flash flooding that has inundated suburbs across the capital. The warning, dated 13 January 2026, comes as the Civil Protection Unit (CPU) and council teams respond to rising water in low-lying areas. Acting Town Clerk Eng. P. M. Moyo confirmed the crisis is ongoing, with daily heavy rains overwhelming the city’s drainage systems.

The council’s public notice states that Mbare, Highfields, Waterfalls, Warren Park, Budiriro, and Glen Norah have been particularly affected by the sudden inundation. Residents in these areas and motorists across the city are being urged to take immediate precautions.

“We encourage residents and property owners in the low lying areas to track weather alerts daily, take heed of the possible floods alerts, be on watch for possible flooding and take appropriate action to avoid risks,” the notice from Eng. Moyo stated.

Crucially, the council has advised a major change to commuting patterns to prevent city-wide gridlock.

“To avoid congestion due to rains, we encourage motorists to adjust travelling times and leave the CBD early,” the notice advised.

The council also provided emergency contact numbers for those in immediate danger:

• +263 242 783982,
• +263 242 783983,
• +263 242 783984, +
• 263 242 783987,
• +263 242 772375, and
• +263 242 761669

Residents Decry “Man-Made” Disaster Despite Warnings

This latest official alert follows similar warnings issued just a week prior. On 6 January 2026, The Herald reported on severe flooding in suburbs including Budiriro and Glen View, where residents expressed fury at what they labelled a preventable crisis. Dean Chidavayenzi, a resident of Kuwadzana, argued the flooding was not a natural event.

“Surely, we haven’t received enough rain to justify this; these are man-made floods,” Chidavayenzi said. “It is ironic that this flooding is happening just a spitting distance from Town House.”

The report described major arterial routes like Leopold Takawira Road being transformed into rivers, stranding vehicles and pedestrians alike and highlighting a critical infrastructure failure.

Calls For National Intervention Grow Louder

With roads submerged and the flooding becoming an annual event, public patience with the local authority has worn thin. Residents are now appealing for the central government to intervene in what they see as a chronic governance failure. Maxwell Kuziva voiced this growing sentiment to The Herald.

“Council has failed; Central Government must chip in. We complained last year, and it seems this has now become a perennial challenge,” Kuziva said.

The City of Harare’s notice cites a forecast of “normal to above normal rains” from meteorological services. However, the repeated severity of the flooding has sparked intense debate about the state of the city’s drainage infrastructure and disaster preparedness, with many citizens pointing to blocked drains and poor maintenance as the root cause of the swamped suburbs.