The population of Somaliland’s capital, Hargeisa, has grown rapidly in recent decades, but the existing water infrastructure has failed to keep up and meet the growing needs.  

When the water systems were built in the 1970s, they were meant to provide water for approximately 300,000 people. However, according to the Somaliland Hargeisa Water Agency - a government entity tasked with managing the water supply and distribution system-  the population of Hargeisa has more than tripled in a few decades. This has led to water shortages with families relying on water collected by donkey carts and trucks from unprotected water sources often contaminated by livestock. Families who cannot afford to buy water from donkey carts have to walk to the public boreholes and queue to fetch water. 

To address the growing demand on clean water by the population, the Hargeisa Urban Water Supply Upgrading Project (HUWSUP) project was jointly funded by the European Union, the Somaliland Development Fund, and the Somaliland Government. This project was implemented by UN-Habitat, together with the Hargeisa Water Agency and the Somaliland Ministry of Water Resource Development. The installation of equipment and other work, carried out by local and international contractors, has taken seven years to complete.

EU

“Before the EU co-funded water supply system upgrade project, the old system used to generate 6,000 cubic metres daily, but now it generates 18,000 cubic metres.  A 23 kilometre pipeline was also installed from the well field area to water reservoirs in Hargeisa town,”  says Samatar Abdirahman an engineer at Hargeisa Water Agency which is managing water supply in Hargeisa City. Thanks to the project, nearly 6,000 households are now connected directly to the water supply and only need to turn on a tap to access water. 

Farhia Said, a housewife and a mother of four children who lives in the Mubarak neighbourhood on the outskirts of Hargeisa, is one of those who have been connected to the water supply and says it has changed the life of her family. 

“Before I was connected to the water supply system, cleaning was a chore. The water delivery trucks were not reliable and sometimes would take days before they delivered. Now I clean my house and wash clothes as often as I want,” says Farhia as she does the washing up “I used to spend up to USD 40 a month on water, but today I use an average of USD 7 a month.  I use the money I save to help me meet other family expenses.”

Hawa Idris, the sole breadwinner of her family of 11 children, sells vegetables in the market.  She is  now connected to the mains supply which she says means she can make better use of her time as she used to spend an hour just to fetch water from a public well.

“I don’t have to walk long distances to fetch water, now I just turn on a tap,” says Hawa. With improved water supply, entrepreneurs like Hawa have now more time to invest in their businesses, which should boost economic development and transform the city.

“The Hargeisa Water projects - increased water production, a modern supply system that was completed, and ongoing water distribution system - fit well with the recently rolled out Global Gateway strategy from Team Europe. The support for Hargeisa improved its water infrastructure and increased its resilience to climate change. I am pleased about its transformative impact on the institutional building for Hargeisa Water Agency which has led to access to affordable and clean water that promotes the fulfilment of fundamental rights,” says Tiina Intelmann, EU Ambassador to Somalia. 

With additional support from the German Development Bank KfW, the Hargeisa Water Agency is currently building additional storage reservoirs and laying new water pipes with the aim of ensuring even more residents of Hargeisa will soon have access to clean water in their homes.

“While more water has already been pumped to Hargeisa over the past three months from the new pumping station, residents should expect a tangible improvement in water supply over the coming two years”, says Ishaku Maitumbi, Head of Programmes, UN-Habitat Somalia.