Zanzibar declares 105 Stone Town buildings risky as El Niño rains approach

The Zanzibar government has stepped up preparations for El Niño rains, urging residents living in high-risk areas to begin relocating before the rains intensify, with measures focused on the Urban West Region, one of the areas most affected by disasters.

The preparations were outlined on Sunday, August 30, 2026, during a media briefing involving the Urban West Regional Commissioner, the Zanzibar Disaster Management Commission and the Stone Town Conservation and Development Authority.

Makame Khatib Makame, Executive Director of the Zanzibar Disaster Management Commission, said the commission had prepared a three-level emergency response plan covering normal rainfall, anticipated flooding that could affect business areas, schools and roads, and a worst-case scenario that could disrupt economic and tourism activities, with emergency centres already prepared.

Mr Makame warned that Stone Town was particularly vulnerable, with 105 buildings identified as being in risky condition, some of which may not withstand heavy rainfall. The Director of Education, Research and Investment, Asha Ali Hassan, said an assessment had identified 105 buildings in Stone Town as being in a state of deterioration, of which 27 were in particularly poor condition and require urgent safety measures.

The expected El Niño rains are forecast to be stronger than in previous years due to rising sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, with weather data as of August 9, 2026 showing sea temperatures had reached 3.6 degrees Celsius, a level described by officials as significantly higher than those associated with previous major flooding episodes in 1997/98 and 2017.

The government plans to issue warnings through SMS, radio and television, while Mr Makame urged residents in high-risk and low-lying areas to relocate before the rains begin, stressing that protecting human life remained the top priority.