{"id":289406,"date":"2025-11-29T08:44:21","date_gmt":"2025-11-29T08:44:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/289406\/"},"modified":"2025-11-29T08:44:21","modified_gmt":"2025-11-29T08:44:21","slug":"somalia-is-innovating-to-provide-communities-with-clean-safe-water-despite-climate-change-effects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/289406\/","title":{"rendered":"Somalia is Innovating to Provide Communities with Clean, Safe Water Despite Climate Change Effects"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just three kilometers from the town of Borama, in Somaliland\u2019s Awdal region, lies the village of Holhol cradled between rolling hills and semi-arid plains. With nearly 1,000 households, Holhol depends on the land for survival. Here, water is more than a resource; it is the very essence of life. \u201cWe used to walk for hours every day to fetch water,\u201d says Aisha Jibril, a pastoralist tending her goats near the dam\u2019s shaded troughs. \u201cSome years, we lost half our herd. But now, with the dam full, we don\u2019t have to leave our homes. The water is here.\u201d<\/p>\n

For decades, Holhol Dam has served as the village\u2019s critical water source. Originally constructed in the 1970s, the earth dam stood as a quiet sentinel through years of hardship: drought, famine, and displacement. It has long been an anchor for survival in an increasingly erratic climate.<\/p>\n

Water means survival<\/p>\n

Farming and herding are central to life in Holhol. Villagers cultivate maize and sorghum during brief rainy seasons, while their goats, camels, and sheep graze the drylands the rest of the year. It is water, however, a scarce and seasonal resource, that ultimately shapes their livelihoods. Climate change triggered severe droughts and floods in 2023\u20132024, resulting in the loss of livestock and the destruction of crops for thousands of households. \u201cWithout the dam, our animals would suffer, and our children would go thirsty,\u201d says Hibo Arab Adan, a mother of five. \u201cThis water means survival.\u201d<\/p>\n

The dam\u2019s rain-fed reservoir now supports Holhol and nearby communities such as Asha-ado, Abuqeys, and Sogsogley. \u201cDuring the Gu and Deyr rains, it fills up,\u201d says local elder Hussein Hassan Duale. \u201cBut in the dry Hagaa season, this is the only source that keeps life going.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2024, Holhol Dam was selected for rehabilitation under the Somalia Water for Rural Resilience Project<\/a> to provide 6,000 people with access to improved water sources, of whom 30% are women. The intervention, which is locally known as Barwaaqo and enjoys the support of the World Bank, has been led by the Somaliland Ministry of Water Resources Development to enhance drought preparedness and climate resilience in rural areas.<\/p>\n

Over the years, sediment had drastically reduced the dam\u2019s effective depth from two meters to just one, shrinking its storage potential. The rehabilitation restored its original design capacity and transformed its utility. Key improvements included desilting the main reservoir, building a secure perimeter fence, installing solar-powered pumping and piping systems, constructing a 20-cubic meter masonry tank, and erecting a public water kiosk. Dedicated troughs for camels and goats were also added to manage high livestock traffic. \u201cThis dam is more than concrete and earth,\u201d says Mubarik Mohamoud Rabileh, Barwaaqo Project Focal Point at the Ministry. \u201cIt is the foundation of our community\u2019s survival.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

From the start, the Barwaaqo Project was anchored in community dialogue. Consultations were held with elders, youth, women, and local leaders to ensure the dam met local priorities and needs. At a recent community meeting by the water\u2019s edge, elders recalled years of drought, displacement, and distress. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to relive those days,\u201d says Hussein Duale. \u201cWith this support, we hope we never will.\u201d<\/p>\n

Women, often the first to feel the burden of water scarcity, were among the project\u2019s most vocal supporters. \u201cWe used to walk two hours with jerry cans,\u201d recalls Aisha. \u201cNow it takes 30 minutes. That gives us time for farming, for our children, even for rest.\u201d<\/p>\n

A digital eye on water security<\/p>\n

In Hargeisa, nearly 150 kilometers away, Hodan Ahmed monitors a digital dashboard at the Ministry of Water Resources Development. As Director of Information Technology, she oversees real-time data feeds from Holhol and other sites. \u201cThe upgraded dam now holds up to 70,000 cubic meters of water,\u201d she explains. \u201cIt meets about 70% of the village\u2019s water demand during the dry season, and two months into the wet season. That\u2019s significant.\u201d<\/p>\n

Based on a 252-day period, the village\u2019s water demand is estimated at 19,656 cubic meters for people and 25,930 cubic meters for livestock. \u201cWe prioritized Holhol using hydrological data, local consultations, and risk analysis,\u201d Hodan says. \u201cThe data guided us, but the community made it work. Infrastructure alone isn\u2019t enough. We\u2019re pairing physical investments with local training, governance, and digital monitoring.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Somalia confronts climate uncertainty, the World Bank-funded rehabilitation of Holhol Dam is a reminder of what is possible when planning, participation, and technology align.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Just three kilometers from the town of Borama, in Somaliland\u2019s Awdal region, lies the village of Holhol cradled…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":289407,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[46193,32067,1397,117295,87054,90,56,54,55,1426],"class_list":["post-289406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-africaafr","tag-climate-change-adaptation","tag-environment","tag-federal-republic-of-somaliaso","tag-rural-development","tag-science","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-water"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=289406"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289406\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/289407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=289406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=289406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=289406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}