Most parts of Northwestern Somaliland are arid or semi-arid. Water is scarce, acutely so during the summer months.
This has impeded the regions development for several decades in various ways: Agricultural productivity has been low, public health has suffered, and a big part of the workforce (largely women) has not been gainfully employed as they have to spend several hours every day just sourcing water.
Under its Integrated Community Development Program (ICDP), IFAD has supported the construction of 15 sand dams in the region since 2005. The sand dams substantially increased water availability in the region-- more than 1 million cubic metres of water is now available to over 6300 households, shallow wells in the area have been recharged, and agriculture has been boosted from a subsistence activity to a commercially profitable sector.
More info: www.ifad.org/bffs/projects/som...
Produced by: MetaMeta
Year: 2014
Language: Somali and English
Region: East Africa, Horn of Africa