Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Last week, the United Nations announced Somalia is in the grip of its worst drought in a decade.
Around 45 percent of the entire population is suffering from malnutrition, while more than 1 million people have been forced from their homes by fighting between the Transitional Federal Government and Islamic insurgents.
"Without good access to water, livestock are dying, leaving their owners in dire straits without their main source of income or food," said Bruce Hickling, IRC's country director for Somalia.
"We have seen some herds depleted by up to 60 percent."
According to IRC, this huge movement of people is putting a huge strain on water resources, with hand-dug wells in some areas having dried up entirely.
"On a recent trip from Gaalkacyo to Gellinsoor, I visited a key borehole that supplies tens of thousands of people with water," Hickling said.
"It's on the verge of breaking down due to overuse. It's running consistently for 16 to 18 hours a day. If boreholes like this do collapse, it's a major problem as they also feed the dozens of water trucks that take supplies to even worse-hit areas,"he added.
The borehole in Gellinsoor is just one that the IRC is rehabilitating, along with dozens of hand-dug wells.
IRC experts are also building dedicated animal drinking troughs, benefitting more than 70,000 people altogether in the Mudug region.
Yet it's not just about improving the quantity of water available. The IRC is also working hard to improve the quality of water and make the whole process less dangerous.
"In one village, an elderly lady had recently fallen into an uncovered well and died," said Hickling.
"Many of these wells are nothing but a wide hole in the ground, which creates quite a hazard. Also, when the rains come, all the nearby rubbish and animal waste is easily washed in. So the IRC is covering these wells to protect residents and the water quality."
IRC water and sanitation experts has also carried out a quick survey of villages around Hobyo, towards the coast, and found most had no sanitation facilities at all.
Some villages with up to 350 households, that's around 2,100 people, do not have a single toilet. When the rains do start in earnest, such poor hygiene practices create an ideal breeding ground for disease. The IRC is therefore helping such communities to build latrines.
The agency siad the Somali crisis requires massive assistance from the international community, as the Somali people continue to struggle amid desperate conditions.
Source: Xinhua, May 20, 2009