A new earth dam, constructed with the support of UNDP, in the Baligubadle area of Somaliland, will bring safe water to an estimated 10,000 people in the region, including nomadic pastoralists who often travel long distances in search of water for their families and livestock.
The dam will hold 50,000 cubic metres of water and was supported by UNDP’s Climate Change Resilience Programme, in partnership with the Somaliland Ministry of Environment and Rural Development, and with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). An earth dam uses the surrounding local clay and soil to create a cost effective and durable reservoir capable of holding large quantities of water, and is suitable to climate conditions in Somaliland. The Baligubadle dam is also fitted with a water pump for water access, as well as plastic sheeting, contributed by Action Aid, to reduce water seepage.
The completed dam was handed over to the Baligubadle municipal authorities and local community at an opening ceremony attended by the Somaliland Minister of Environment and Rural Development, Shukri Haji Ismail Bandare, and the Director General of the Ministry of Water Resources, Dr. Abdirizak Jama Nur.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Minister Bandare thanked UNDP for their support and Action Aid for their contribution, and highlighted the need to maintain the dam for the surrounding community. “It is important to take care of this dam and the surounding environment and to tackle the environmental issues that are frequently re-occurring” she said.
The UNDP Climate change Resilience programme has supported five more earth dams, sixty-nine small water storage facilities and five shallow wells in Somaliland in 2017, with funding from GEF, and continues to work with vulnerable communities across Somaliland to improve access to water and build resilience to climate change.
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Contact
Ilaria Carpen, Head of Area Office Hargeisa, United Nations Development Programme
Keelin FitzGerald, Communications Specialist, United Nations Development Programme Somalia
