Somaliland
Hargeisa experiences severe water crisis, government too slow
October 16, 2012 · 21 Comments
HARGEISA — Despite recent heavy rains, Hargeisa is currently experiencing severe water shortages and residents are getting fed up with the current administration.
Home to over a million, Hargeisa is the capital and the largest city in Somaliland, one of the most impoverished and unrecognized countries in the world. Due to rapid population growth, lack of upgrade to 1940 water systems and more water being consumed than produced many families are going without getting access to water for weeks.
Experts predict if the current demand for water is not solved, Hargeisa could become an empty ghost town within the next two decades. The current administration announced the construction of 12 wells more than 8 months ago but until now not a single new source of water has been inaugurated. Hussein Abdi Dualeh, Somaliland’s Minister of Mining, Energy and Water Resources, told local media in February that the EU pledged a fund of $27.5m for water projects in Hargeisa, Burao, Erigavo and Wajale. Until now not a single well has been drilled and frustration is growing.
The latest shortages of water has hit the neighbourhoods of Sheikh Nour, Daruraha, Ga’an Libah, Qudheh Dheer and inner city suburbs including Almis, just few kilometers outside the city center.
The reoccurring crisis, which are not entirely only mentioned area, are feared could cause unseen social and political unrest unless a solution is urgently implemented. At least 45% of Hargeisa’s 1.2 million population have no access to water at all.
Many families, mainly women and children fetch water in the dark of night from the nearest water source once or even twice a week using plastic canisters and wheelbarrows. This form of securing some supply is slowly rising tensions in the city and its surrounding regions. They equally use donkeys and tankers.
It is not clear as to why the water table in the city has dropped far beyond sustainable levels following recent heavy rains but locals fear wells are drying up. They fear it might force them to abandon the city in the next twenty years unless the government and the international community act fast.
Residents claim the current administration of President Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud are not doing enough nor taking the matter serious enough.
The business community and small industries are equally worried with the reoccurring water crisis which they say continues to interrupt their businesses. They say it is almost impossible to do business in Hargeisa with the lack of water and infrastructure.
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"They fear it might force them to abandon the city in the next twenty years unless the government and the international community act fast."
Sensationalist! Waxan meesha wax ku qoraa ma caruur bay dadka u haystaan. Dadki qoraa buu u wada dhaqaaqay maaha?
I know some of my family who came from Burco and settled in Hargeisa ran back to Burco because there was more water in Burco. Hargeisa does suffer from water shortage. It's in a rocky hill, but it does rain in Hargeisa so they need to make good use of the rain. I thought Silanyo is spend 20 Million dollars to address this issue and upgrade the system thou.
*spending that is
With a dozen Water bottling companies and Coca cola company that is situated above the largest water reservoir it is plain idiotic to assume the sources are limited. The infrastructure is poor having been built in the 1940ies.
It is said 40-60% of the water pumped is lost due to leakage! The Sources are plenty the question is CAN we Somalilanders maintain/upgrade the system to prevent the HUGE leaks in the distribution pipes.
Everything is leaking somalilan region not only water from politics to economy and infrastructure.
1991 there was nothing left standing it is a miracle don't you agree?
All thanks to the 1960Union that cost us 52years of development and loss of our sovereignty. Insha'allah we have learn our lesson.
That's a lie and deep down you know that after the union your people migrated in huge numbers to the south leaving their own lands undeveloped same with Puntland because that's where the politics and power was. Did Siad Barre do damage to Hargeisa yes but the biggest damage of them all was done by your people migrating. Even if lets say you're right for a second its been over two decades now how much longer are people like you gonna use the south as an excuse for everything that goes wrong in the north. No matter what excuses you come up with there's no way that it should of deteriorated like that to the level where the city could turn into a ghost town??
The Isaaq civil war did more damages than Siad Bare. If we talk about numbers inter-Isaaq conflict claimed more than 100,000 in matter of months and it was the Samaroon who resolved the issue and offered the peace reconciliation. Until now the only way some of my Isaaqis thanked the Samaroon is massacre them in Samaale and Dilla.
They used the Samaroon under Dir same way they used Hawiye under the Irir shirt and when their little camps achieved relative peace they start labeling everyone else pirate, faqash, Moryaan, terrorist.
I will tell you that the real Isaaqis believe that the Hawiye, Dir and Isaaq are one family and Darood is also our Somali family as are Rahaweins and others.
We have few Habashi who infiltrated into our society and today the truth is out. Isaaqis were able to move on from their civil war and same way they moved on from Siad Bare's mistakes.
By far he was the best president but he loved his rule more than his country in the last 10 years of his rule.
He was not tribalist as they claim. Silanyo portrayed this image to them after Siad Bare sacked him for looting the Somali Ministry of Finance on behave of Dhiigshiil.
Tuur never fought for secessionist and funny how they label him as their first tribal President. They claim many things so I am not surprised. Somaliland was north's version of the TFG, meel ku gadh, the end of TFG in the south also brings the end of Somaliland in the north.
You are right my brother although i am an issa djiboutian i have an isaaq mother and her family, the Habar Yonis, are against separation. I believe that all 5 somali territories must unite into one somali superstate as a solution to the weak-mided, narrow clan loyalties
AS A SOMALI SUPREMACIST, LETS MAKE A REVOLUTION COMRADES AND DO AWAY WITH SILLY WHITE-MAN BORDERS
Hamoud,
Ah I see you are jabutian. Tell would Djibouti actually join Somalia if Somaliland does? Somaliland wouldn't actually mind unity if Djibouti joins in too all as in three equal entities forming a confederation. You guys ruined the Somaliweyn plan.
yes somaliweyn is a must for jabuuti even our afar brothers would benefit we should add the afar region of ethiopia so the djiboutian and ethiopian afars can unite and have their own autonomous state in greater somalia i.e kurdistan in iraq
inter-isaaq war killed 100,000? Audubillah, are you sure, where did you get that.
Waloweyn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Adeer SLP Joojiya Somaliweyntan aad na daba wadaan.
Khaati bilaahi ayaanu nmankan ka taaganahay
Somalia/sland needs a socialist revolution to be honest. Hope this is the start of an somali wakening all though i know it will never happen do to clan structures
The vice president described the 20-million-euro grant as the biggest project of its kind to be implemented in Somaliland.
"This project proves that Somaliland has transcended simple aid donations to development of infrastructure and economic resources such as water and roads," Ismail said.
"This project will benefit Hargeisa, which has a population of one million, and will enable its residents to access clean water, as well as benefitting three other towns that hold a considerable population," Ismail said. "We want to express our appreciation to the European Union."
"We estimate that 60% of the population does not have access to enough water and we expect that with this project we can stop the problem in the short term," he added.
The project is expected to begin in 2013 and should be completed by 2015, Ibrahim Siad Younis, head of the Water Authority Agency in Hargeisa, told Sabahi.
No water no life no investors no recognition just grieving, mourning, anger and trash. No nation is going to waste its resources and time on a small village with two Chinese pipelines and more trash than Earth's 911 recycling plant.
Keep crying your tears might become new source of H2O.
Looser, you are so bitter, I wonder if the somalilanders slaughterd your mother or father. Our village is our pride, where is yours????? With all the bloodshed on your hands ,you will keep on bleeding for ever, while Somaliland will prevail and reach great heights. Talking of thrash, dont forget you are the ones who shared your bedrooms with donkeys and learnt how to use the toilet in the last few years….. Dont throw stones when you live in a glass house, if you know what I mean looser!
this is one of the biggest cities in Somalia. how did it come to this? misappropriation of funds comes to mind. Africans are most corrupt species in the planet. look at the chaos in the picture and the plastic bags in the trees. this is same in all Africa and in Somalia in particular
SOMALILANDPRESS can you please write an article about whats really going on about the integrity of Somalia's territorial waters. To my understanding under the old constitution which should stay that way and not changed Law No. 37 of 1972 Somalia has a territorial waters of up to 200 nautical miles with a exclusive economic zone of 200 nm ratified by the Somali parliament on 24 July 1989 for the United Nations Common Law of the Sea and then on 17 April 2009 based on international law and Somalia’s documented claim and handed in by Somalia to the UN and the International Seabed Authority a further continental shelf zone of 350 nm. Last time i heard the UN through the old corrupt TFG regime starting from Abdullahi Yusuf to Abdiwelli Gass was going to reduce our territorial waters to 12 nm with an E.EZ of 200 nm which meant our territorial waters was only 12nm a big deduction from 200nm but luckily got stopped by our Transitional Federal Parliament from going into the road-map. Also to my understanding Somaliland would of agreed with the 12 nm with an E.E.Z decided how far between Somaliland and Yemen sins it ain't even 200nm between them had it been a recognized country but sins it ain't it had no value at all which meant void.
Look how evil some people are parading that MIG fighter jet with the Somali flag for the last 2 decades in the square for one purpose only to make sure the masses never get over their fear. I would of had nothing against it whatsoever if it was in a museum but what this tells me is that this is the tool to keep the people hypnotized tut tut tut.