SOMALIA: Galgadud villages abandoned as water shortage bites
NAIROBI, 17 March 2010 (IRIN) - An acute water shortage after a prolonged drought in central Galgadud region of Somalia has forced thousands of people to abandon their villages, say officials.
"A prolonged drought, coupled with a drying-up of wells and barkads [water pans], is forcing many people to leave their homes," said Abdirahman Mohamed Adawe, the district commissioner of Adado, one of the areas hardest hit.
However, some parts of the region are receiving the Gu (long) rains.
More than a dozen villages around Adado town, housing an estimated 35,000 people, are affected. Those with livestock are moving in search of pasture and water, while those who lost their livestock, the economic mainstay of the area, are moving to towns.
Many rural people are arriving almost every day "with nothing and camping on the outskirts of town", he said.
"In February alone, over 500 families [3,000 people] arrived in Adado town [some 620km north of Mogadishu]," he said.
The problem was most acute in Baá Dheer, 75km north of Adado; Goryale, 40km northwest of Adado; Hin Jilaabo, 40km southwest; and Ada kibir, 70km southeast.
"In many of these villages the wells and barkads have dried up and the only other option is water trucking, which is difficult and expensive," Adawe told IRIN. "Some villagers are going as far as 100km to get water."
Moalim Hassan, an elder in the village of Baá Dheer, told IRIN: "The closest water point is 75km away and a drum of trucked water costs 120,000 Somali shillings [about US$4], a sum of money most cannot afford."
The area has not had any rain for the past two years and the Gu rains - which should have begun - have failed.
In Ada Kibir, the situation is even worse. "We have been in a drought situation for a few years. We had very little rains or none at all in the last two years," Abdullahi Moalim, a resident, told IRIN.
Many residents have left the town. The one borehole had dried up and water was being trucked in from a borehole 60km away. "Those who are left in Ada Kibir are paying the equivalent of $4 or $5 for 200l of water."
Authorities in Adado were setting up a committee to deal with the influx of drought displaced, said DC Adawe.
"We are appealing to aid agencies and Somalis in the diaspora to come to the rescue of the people," he added.
He said there had been no reports of people dying, "but it is just a matter of time if the situation is not addressed soon".
NAIROBI, 17 March 2010 (IRIN) - An acute water shortage after a prolonged drought in central Galgadud region of Somalia has forced thousands of people to abandon their villages, say officials.
"A prolonged drought, coupled with a drying-up of wells and barkads [water pans], is forcing many people to leave their homes," said Abdirahman Mohamed Adawe, the district commissioner of Adado, one of the areas hardest hit.
However, some parts of the region are receiving the Gu (long) rains.
More than a dozen villages around Adado town, housing an estimated 35,000 people, are affected. Those with livestock are moving in search of pasture and water, while those who lost their livestock, the economic mainstay of the area, are moving to towns.
Many rural people are arriving almost every day "with nothing and camping on the outskirts of town", he said.
"In February alone, over 500 families [3,000 people] arrived in Adado town [some 620km north of Mogadishu]," he said.
The problem was most acute in Baá Dheer, 75km north of Adado; Goryale, 40km northwest of Adado; Hin Jilaabo, 40km southwest; and Ada kibir, 70km southeast.
"In many of these villages the wells and barkads have dried up and the only other option is water trucking, which is difficult and expensive," Adawe told IRIN. "Some villagers are going as far as 100km to get water."
Moalim Hassan, an elder in the village of Baá Dheer, told IRIN: "The closest water point is 75km away and a drum of trucked water costs 120,000 Somali shillings [about US$4], a sum of money most cannot afford."
The area has not had any rain for the past two years and the Gu rains - which should have begun - have failed.
In Ada Kibir, the situation is even worse. "We have been in a drought situation for a few years. We had very little rains or none at all in the last two years," Abdullahi Moalim, a resident, told IRIN.
Many residents have left the town. The one borehole had dried up and water was being trucked in from a borehole 60km away. "Those who are left in Ada Kibir are paying the equivalent of $4 or $5 for 200l of water."
Authorities in Adado were setting up a committee to deal with the influx of drought displaced, said DC Adawe.
"We are appealing to aid agencies and Somalis in the diaspora to come to the rescue of the people," he added.
He said there had been no reports of people dying, "but it is just a matter of time if the situation is not addressed soon".
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