Water & Health
In Search of Water
Addressing and preventing famine in Somalia Mohamed Ismail Yasin , originally from Mayle village in northeast Somalia , fled the region ’ s prolonged and severe drought with his six-member family and most of his livestock .
They had to travel 600 km to the nearest dependable water source : a sand dam near Bandarbeyla in neighbouring Bari region .
Like Mohamed , 615,000 people are currently displaced by the drought in Somalia .
Looming Famine
Somalia is one of four countries facing the threat of famine , and the situation in is rapidly deteriorating . Parts of the country have not received any rain for three consecutive years . In some areas , crops have been completely wiped out and livestock has died ; communities have been forced to sell assets and to borrow food and money to survive .
Half of the population – 6.2 million people out of the country ’ s 12.3 million - do not have access to nutritious food . Of these , nearly 3 million are in need of urgent lifesaving assistance .
People fear a repeat of the 2011 famine that killed nearly 260,000 people , half of them children . The current situation could potentially end in a
worse outcome - already more than five times as many people have been forced to leave their homes because of this year ’ s drought , compared to the peak of the 2011 famine .
In Search of Water
To make matters worse , the price of water has risen dramatically . A family with an average-sized livestock herd now has to pay anywhere from US $ 200 to $ 400 per month for water . These costs can be catastrophic for farmers trying to earn a living ..
A newly-built water dam may just deliver the badly-needed relief . For Mohamed and his family , it has been a life – and money – saver .
“ Ever since we found out about the dam , we ’ re saving around $ 400 a month , which I can now put towards the basic needs of my family ,” he says .
The sand dam is one of the water harvesting structures built by UNDP in partnership with the Global Environment Facility . It aims to reduce the impacts of climate change-induced disasters like droughts and floods .
Before the construction of the dam , people from the Dhudo community had no other option but to buy water from the berkades ( traditional cemented water catchments ). The placement of the berkades – far from villages – adds an additional challenge to an already costly solution .
The new dam has been strategically placed so that nomadic communities in the region can easily access it . In December 2016 , the dam was able to conserve 95,000 m3 of surface water from short spells of rain , which provided enough water for eight months .
The current rainfall , especially when water is managed well , will allow farmers to plant crops and care for their livestock .
Water and health
Contaminated water and poor sanitation are linked to transmission of diseases such as cholera , diarrhoea , dysentery , hepatitis A , typhoid , and polio . Absent , inadequate , or inappropriately managed water and sanitation services expose individuals to preventable health risks . This is particularly the case in health care
30 Africa Water , Sanitation & Hygiene • August 2018