Bank-funded water and sanitation project improving livelihood in SomalilandOn March 22 as the global community marked World Water Day, residents...
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network
On March 22 as the global community marked World Water Day, residents of a small town in Somaliland also had reason to celebrate.
With a population of about 24,500, Arabsiyo is about 35 km west of the capital, Hargeisa. The town previously had 75% of its inhabitants relying on unsafe water delivered by donkey carts and truck operators who often drew from unprotected and poorly maintained water sources like shallow hand-dug wells around seasonal riverbeds.
Only about 20% of the population had access to potable water from a borehole through a household connection managed by Arabsiyo Water Agency (AWA), the public water utility. The remaining 5% got their water from water kiosks at high costs.
According to AWA, the water volume was insufficient to meet the minimum WHO-recommended per capita urban consumption of 35 liters per capita per day. It fell short by almost 67% of this recommendation.
During that period, Khadra Mohamed, 62, spent about a third of her daily income to purchase potable water. “I bought water four times a week from a donkey-drawn cart private operator who travelled about six km round trip for each supply. Still, this was not enough for my sanitation and hygiene needs,” says the mother of seven, a resident of Arabsiyo.
Attached link
https://www.afdb.org/en/success-stories/bank-funded-water-and-sanitation-project-improving-livelihood-somaliland-60296Taxonomy
- Water Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH)