Somaliland: Water deliveries end for drought-displaced people in Buhodle

[Deeq A.]

Around 1,000 drought-hit families in three areas in northern Buhodle are facing water scarcity after water deliveries from aid agencies stopped last month.

In Sool-joogto, where the wells have run dry after three years of drought, 600 families are now without water. The rest of the families left without water are in Maygagle and Go’ondale. The areas lie 30 to 50 km from Buhodle, in Somaliland.

Water prices have soared with the scarcity and demand. Water trucks take three hours to deliver water from Buhodle. In Go’andale, a barrel of water has risen from 50,000 to 180,000 Somali shillings.

The Somali Red Crescent had been delivering water to these area from last November. Officials said the programme had run out of funds for the deliveries.

Omar Ahmed Abdullahi, 45, is living in Maygagle. He came to the area because of the water deliveries. He told Radio Ergo he is struggling financially and cannot shift with his family somewhere else to find water.

Omar has already borrowed $80 to buy water and is worried that he will not be able to get any more credit or money from his relatives because he has no means to repay what he owes.  In the past 24 hours, his family begged a little water from their neighbours, who had bought a container.

The family’s entire herd of 280 goats and 15 camels died in the drought. He has seven children.

Adan Warsame, 55, and his six children, the youngest aged two, have been using water they bought at the going rate of 180,000 shillings Ahmed and his family live in Go’ondale, 50 km north of Buhodle. He does not know how long he can sustain this.

They had 170 goats and 16 camels but none survived the drought.

Despite the lack of water, some families in the area received food distributions of rice, flour, sugar and cooking oil from the UN’s World Food Programme. Cooking without water has become a major challenge.

RE