By Goth Mohamed Goth
H.E. Abdirahman Abdillahi Ismail , the Vice President in the course of the week presided over the tape cutting ceremony of a multi million dollar Hargeisa Water expansion project funded by a partnership between the Hargeisa Water Agency (HWA), the Somaliland Ministry of Water Resources, Coca-Cola Africa Foundation, the European Union, UNICEF, Somaliland Beverage Industries (SBI) and Terre Solidali for installing these low-cost, efficient and safe water storage and distribution system , featuring water-vending kiosks in the southern fringes of Hargeisa city , which for the first time provide clean drinking water.
For the residents living in the southern fringes of Hargeisa City , the project is a total success says , “ Mr. Mohamed Ali Daroor , the managing Director of the Hargeisa Water Agency; the goal is to continue expanding the project, securing more and more people’s unalienable right to clean water. RAIN Somaliland serves as a prime example of The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation and SBI’s commitment to Somaliland, fostering a potentially bright future of growth, prosperity and peace.
With projects already launched in 36 of Africa’s 55 countries, RAIN is continuing toward its goal of providing safe drinking water to two million people across Africa.
Mr. Ahmed Osman Gelleh, the chief executive officer of Gelleh group of companies speaking during the inauguration event said, “In spite of extensive support from the local municipality and several international and local development agencies, there is no water supply system in place. This is not unusual in Somaliland, where most urban centers suffer chronic water shortages and where the local water agencies rarely meet demand. Much of the population, living in impoverished and peripheral areas, has to buy water from water trucks at exorbitant prices.
Now, things are looking up for the people of Hargeisa – thanks to a three years-long partnership between the Hargeisa Water Agency (HWA), the Somaliland Ministry of Water Resources, The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation, the European Union, UNICEF, Somaliland Beverage Industries (SBI) and Terre Solidali. A low-cost, efficient and safe water storage and distribution system has been installed, featuring water-vending kiosks, helping for the very first time to secure essential human right of clean drinking water.
The obstacles we overcome were more than merely logistical, financial or engineering related – the team also had to win the downtrodden community’s trust, said Ahmed Gelleh.
He Added , “We needed to dig a six km trench to lay the pipe that would bring life-giving water to Ayaha,” he said. “One of the biggest challenges we faced was to persuade the many private landowners that claimed the land on which the trench was dug, to allow digging through ‘their’ land. We succeeded with strong collaboration between the Hargeisa Water Agency, local elders, and local imams.”
With projects already launched in 36 of Africa’s 55 countries, RAIN is continuing toward its goal of providing safe drinking water to two million people across Africa.“Hargeisa has a population of about 1 million, and roughly half of those people do not have access to water mains,” said Osman, noting how much work remains ahead. “I’d like to help to bring clean water to more of these people.”
Hon Saleban Yusuf Ali Koore, Somaliland Minister of Water Resources speaking during the occasion said,”. “I would like to express my profound gratitude to he Coca Cola Foundation and other partners who come together with their unique strengths to make a positive difference by providing clean tapped water to residents of Hargeisa.
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