SUCCESS STORIES
Addressing Water Crisis in Baidoa | A new Borehole serving over 7000 people
Zamzam Foundation continues to respond to the effects of drought in Somalia by providing sustainable and long-term solutions for the venerable population.
Through the support of our partners, we have been able to construct and equip a borehole in Shamsa, Baidoa District, Bay Region. The borehole serving an estimated population of over 7000 people, is aimed at alleviating the water crisis in Baidoa.
Following four seasons of below-average rainfall, this ranks among the top three driest on record across Somalia where the severity of drought conditions mirrors 2010/2011 and 2016/2017 when severe drought conditions culminated in famine.
Conditions are particularly concerning in the Baidoa district where elevated malnutrition and mortality rates have surpassed emergency thresholds, alongside disease outbreaks, including cholera and measles. Findings from multiple sources indicate critical water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) situations across both districts but particularly in internally displaced person (IDP) sites hosting displaced populations from largely inaccessible areas, whose vulnerability was exacerbated due to extended periods of limited access to water and high food insecurity in their places of origin and during displacement.
The influx of people fleeing drought and starvation to seek refuge in Baidoa has already put a lot of constraints on the limited available resources. The situation has had a significant impact on the high cost of water, with prices of water trucking having increased by between 30% to 65% compared to April of the previous year, while water prices had doubled in most parts of the South-Central regions.
This borehole project has come at a time when the population was in despair – the most vulnerable and marginalized communities couldn’t afford to buy water from private water vendors and private boreholes/wells since the prices were way above their reach.
The project also seeks to address the heightened physical vulnerabilities among drought-affected populations because of ongoing cholera and measles outbreaks and the high incidence of diarrhea in the district.
Zamzam Foundation is committed to finding and implementing sustainable solutions that respond to the plight of the vulnerable population. We continue to seek support from our partners of goodwill to help us drive this mission.
Hand in hand on the path of goodness and development. One course at a time!
