Somaliland's Minister of Water Resources Launches SDF Funded
Comprehensive Water Study and Borehole Drilling Project in Las'anod
“This project is to confirm that Government of Somaliland Fulfilled
its Promises with People in Sool Region”, Garad Jama Garad Ismail,
Chief Traditional Leader of Sool Region said.
The Ministry of Water Resources have launched very significant water
development project in the provincial capital of Sool region,
Las'anod, on October 29th, 2014. The highly expected project
“Las'anod water study and borehole exploration project” is the first
phase for the development of Las'anod city water supply system. A
project launching ceremony was held, a well organized community
symposium, which increased engagement of Las'anod people to be aware
water development project of Ministry of Water Resources.
The project, comprising geological and geophysical survey, master
plan development and designing water distribution system, as well as
drilling boreholes, will benefit more than 200,000 people in
Las'anod. The Government-owned fund ''Somaliland Development Fund--(SDF)''
is financing the project.
Project launching ceremony was held in Mustaqbal Hotel in Las'anod
on Wednesday where was attended and orated by Somaliland’s Minister
of Water Resources, Hon. Hussein Ahmed Abdulle, and state Minister
for the reconciliation and development of Eastern regions, Hon. Ali
Mohamud Ahmed (Ali Sandulle), Sool Region Governor, Mohamed Farah
Adem, Deputy Mayor of Las'anod city, Abdirahman Mahir, famous and
highly respected social leader, or main traditional chief of Sool
region, Garaad Jama Garaad Ismail Duale. Additionally, this colorful
ceremony was attended regional police and military commanders and
senior army officials, regional coordinator of Ministries, sultans
and aqils, sheikhs, businessmen, women and youth, community
intellectuals, NGOs, community development workers, politicians,
water stakeholders and media groups. Members of Project Management
Team and Deputy Team Leader of SDF, Najah Adem, were attended in the
event.
Somaliland Minister for Water Resources, Hon. Hussein Ahmed Abdulle
spoke at the ceremony, explaining that the project aimed to study
water and borehole exploration project in Las Anod.
"There was a huge need for this Las'anod water study and borehole
exploration project," Abdulle said. “Las'anod residents were
experiencing increased demand of water as the population was
exponentially exploding”.
Water Resources Minister Hussein Ahmed Abdulle said that the project
will benefit Las'anod people and will expectedly bring durable
solution to the long-persisted water problems, caused by saline land
formation and lack of proper water study, in Las'anod city.
Minister Hussein explains that this project is addressing most
prioritized needs of Las'anod city which is water. He encouraged
Las'anod community to provide their maximum support to the success
of the project. The minister also expressed his expectation that the
project will have positive end to make access for Las'anod people to
drink clean and adequate water.
''We will continue our endeavor to improve water supply system of
places like Las'anod'', Minister said. ''In my leadership and
advocacy, Ministry of water resources appealed for Las'anod water
supply and we convinced SDF and donors to find water for Las'anod''
The main traditional chief of Sool region Garad Jama Garad Ismail
spoke at the ceremony as he confirmed that the government of
Somaliland carried out one of the development pledges in the region
and urged residents to live up their expectations and rally their
support behind the government of Somaliland led by President Ahmed
Mohamed Mohamud Silanyo.
State Minister for the Reconciliation and Development of Eastern
regions, Hon. Ali Mohamud Ahmed (Ali Sandulle) spoke at the ceremony
said that the project is earmarked for Sool to have access to safe
drinking water.
Mohamed Farah, Project Manager of this SDF-Ministry of Water
Resources Project, spoke at the ceremony provided an introduction
about the project.
“The project that we are launching today is one of most important
water project implemented in Somaliland for two decades as Las'anod
is the only city without water out of six main regional cities,”
Farah said.
“The project is funded by Somaliland Development Fund (SDF) which is
government-owned 4 years fund supporting Somaliland's National
Development Plan (NDP). The SDF has allocated 4.5 USD million to the
Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR) to implement the Water Resources
Development project, consist of six sub-projects:
■ Expansion of Berbera urban water supply system (Sahil region)
■ Expansion of Burao urban water supply system (Togdheer region)
■ Water study and borehole testing for Las'anod urban water system (Sool
region)
■ Connecting Hadaaftimo water source to the town (Sanaag region)
■ Rehabilitation of water yards in Galgooray (Awdal region)
■ Capacity building programme for the MoWR (at different levels)
In the proceedings of Las'anod project launching ceremony, after
good explanation about the project of “Increased access to adequate
and affordable water supply for human drinking and other domestic
purpose”, Las'anod community members understood project activities
and affirmed their commitment to collaborate for project success.
The Somaliland Development Fund (SDF) is jointly funded initially by
DFID and DANIDA and Government of Norway with $50 million USD. SDF
is recognized as the single vehicle through which donors can support
Somaliland’s development goals with the overall four main outputs:
1. Improved government capacity to prioritize development objectives
and to plan and budget development activities.
2. Increased funds and government capacity to deliver of state
functions.
3. Increased government control of decision-making and the
management of funds.
4. Enhanced citizen awareness of government priorities, activities
and expenditure.
Mohamed Farah Adem, Sool regional governor, who is responsible for
government of Somaliland for the Sool regional development spoke in
the launching ceremony. The governor said, “project will address the
water shortage in the city and will hopefully supply clean water to
Las'anod”. He added, “the project is intended to alleviate problems
of the water shortage in the city by supplying enough clean water to
the residents of the town”.
Finally the governor of Sool region Mohamed Farah Adem while
speaking at the ceremony urged city residents to welcome and utilize
this important water project which is the first of its kind in the
city and the region as a whole.
Las'anod Water Supply Situation; Project Justifications
Laasanod town extends in a basin drained by the stream passing about
one kilometresouthwardand is encircled by a low hills crown. The
area is located at the southern edge of the NugalValley which
constitutes one of the major geographic features of the Northern
Somalia,crossing both Somaliland and Puntland. Southward a higher
and longer hill ranges dividesthe town plain from another plain
gently descending toward Ethiopia.
From a hydrogeological point of view, the Laasanod area is
characterized by the absence offresh aquifers, both shallow and
deep.The present town’s water need is satisfied mostly through water
trucking with watercollected in the traditional structures called
berkads, which are lined basins collecting thewater running during
rain, or collected by shallow wells, excavated in the togga near
thetown, characterized by water of a medium salinity, worsening in
the dry season. There isonly one borehole, about 30 km
north-eastward at Gambadhe, which gives a small amount ofwater
(about 20 m3 per day)of medium salinity.
The chronic scarcity of the water resources is not only the major
stress for the urbanpopulation but affects also the pastoral
livelihood which still represents the economicbackbone of the
country.Themagnitudeof the problem can be easily understood looking
at the water price, which ranges from 6.5USD/cum (during the rainy
season) up to 25 USD/cum (at the peak of the dry season).
Laasnod is built on a geological unit known as Taleex formation,
which is widespread in the whole North-eastern Somalia, constituted
mostly by gypsum and anhydrite which give to the water a high
salinecontent, which is why previous projects failed to mitigate the
water problems of Laasanod:
• In 1995 OXFAM GB supported the rehabilitation/drilling of three
production boreholes and installed a small trunk line to the town
including the construction of a water reservoir, public kiosks and
small distribution network. The water supply system does not
function due to very high water salinity (not suitable for human
consumption), which corroded the G.I. pipe thus reducing the system
technical efficiency.
• In 2006 DRC supported the town water supply by installing five
water reverse osmosis treatment plants. The plants were not
economically and technically sustainable and were abandoned.
• In 2008-2009 MoWR supported a geophysical survey aiming at finding
fresh water. Apparently the drilling company did not succeed to seal
the layers of fresh water from the brackish ones; as a consequence
the borehole water is not drinkable.
• In 2010 UNICEF through the MoWR funded the drilling of another
borehole in Laasanod which was never completed due to the failure of
the drilling company.
• In 2012 Caritas Switzerland planned to drill a borehole in
Laasanod, but due to the lack of efficient drilling rigs and
reliable ground water study, the available resources were diverted
to excavate a new earth dam.
Mohamed Farah
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