Lake Malawi's water levels are continuing to rise at a worrying rate, triggering widespread flooding that has already submerged homes, tourism facilities and farmland across multiple districts, including Mangochi, Salima, Nkhata Bay, Karonga, Likoma Island, Chikwawa and Nsanje.
According to the National Water Resources Authority (NWRA), the lake reached about 476.45 metres above sea level (masl) during the 2025/26 peak period in mid-April 2026, and stood at around 476.41 masl as of May 7 2026.
These levels are dangerously close to the lake's historic high of 477.22 masl recorded in 1980, raising fears that further rainfall could push water levels into more destructive territory.
On the ground, the impact is already severe. In Mangochi, sections of lakeside resorts and lodges have been swallowed by rising waters, with sandy beaches now fully submerged. Tourism facilities are reporting flooded rooms, damaged walkways and inaccessible cottages, forcing visitors and staff to navigate through waterlogged areas.
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Local authorities say low-lying residential areas such as Ngalamu and Mapila have been heavily affected, with entire communities relocating to higher ground. At least 30 households are currently being sheltered at an evacuation site at Wisdom of Hope Private School.
In Karonga, district officials report that homes, roads, schools and trading centres near the lakeshore are either already damaged or at risk due to continuous shoreline erosion. Communities are experiencing displacement, while access to clean water and sanitation has become increasingly difficult.
On Likoma Island, local leadership estimates that at least 50 households in Chiwoko, Jalo and Mbamba villages have been displaced as floodwaters continue to expand inland.
The situation is also affecting agriculture and the wider economy.
In the Shire Valley, particularly Chikwawa, rising lake outflows through the Shire River have flooded farmland along the East Bank, destroying crops and disrupting food production. Fishing communities along the lakeshore are also reporting reduced access to landing sites and damaged equipment, further threatening livelihoods already under pressure.
NWRA attributes the rising water levels to what it calls a "hydrological response" driven by successive seasons of above-normal rainfall across the lake's vast catchment. Spokesperson Masozi Kasambala explained that Lake Malawi's large storage capacity means it does not quickly recede after heavy rainfall seasons, instead carrying over high inflows from year to year.
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He warned that the lake is currently at a critically high level, meaning even a small increase in rainfall could lead to widespread inundation of flat shoreline areas. Although the Kamuzu Barrage in Liwonde is currently operating at high discharge levels to reduce pressure on the lake, NWRA says releases cannot be increased further without worsening flooding downstream in the Lower Shire.
Recent data shows a consistent upward trend: lake levels averaged 473-474 masl between 2012 and 2017, rose to about 474.8-475.0 masl in 2020/21 and 2021/22, increased to over 475.9 masl in 2023/24, and exceeded 476.3 masl in 2024/25, when widespread flooding already submerged homes, resorts and farmland. With levels now hovering above 476.4 masl, stakeholders warn that the situation could worsen if rainfall patterns persist into the next season.
For now, residents, investors and local authorities along Lake Malawi's shoreline remain on high alert as the rising waters continue to reshape communities, damage infrastructure and threaten livelihoods across the country's lakeshore belt.
