Qurdubey Village in the Gedo region of Somalia is situated alongside the Jubba River and serves as a haven for a large population of internally displaced persons (IDPs). These families were compelled to leave their homes due to the devastating 2021-2023 drought, ongoing clan conflicts, and widespread insecurity. The conditions in the displacement camps are dire, with inadequate sanitation and hygiene leading to a widespread prevalence of acute watery diseases, particularly among children. The absence of clean water and proper sanitation facilities has made ailments like diarrhea and cholera rampant, resulting in malnutrition, weakened immune systems, and placing children at a high risk of serious infections and even death.
Unfortunately, the village’s sole water source, a shallow well, sustained severe damage during the 2023 floods. Consequently, the community had no choice but to resort to fetching contaminated water from the nearby Jubba River, as there were no other sources available for domestic use and for their livestock. This arduous task, often undertaken by women and girls, exposed them to the dangers of sexual and gender-based violence during their journeys. Additionally, the risk of crocodile attacks at the riverbanks further heightened their vulnerability.
Recognizing the challenges, Nomadic Assistance for Peace and Development (NAPAD), in partnership with the Somalia Humanitarian Fund (SHF), launched a WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) project in Qurdubey. The goal of this project was to improve emergency access to water and provide sustained water services for at-risk and El Niño-affected IDP and host communities in Qurdubey and Busle Villages, located in the Dollow District. The project included the construction of a new shallow well, a water kiosk with eight taps, connection pipework to the existing water storage tank in Qurdubey, and the installation of a solar-powered water pumping system. This comprehensive system now supplies clean and safe water to over 1,000 households.
Suada Adow Ibrahim, a mother of five from the village, vividly remembers the desperate search for water before NAPAD stepped in. She and other women encountered numerous obstacles in obtaining water for their families, having to trek approximately four kilometers to and from the Jubba River twice daily just to fetch water.
“It has been over three months since we gained access to clean, safe, and affordable water for drinking and other household purposes,” Suada shares. “The newly built water kiosk is conveniently located just a few minutes away from my home, at the heart of our IDP settlement. We now have water available at all times to meet our household needs, and there is an abundant supply for everyone.”
“We are extremely thankful to NAPAD and SHF for their assistance,” Suada expresses with a sense of relief. “We no longer waste valuable energy and time in fetching water.”
In addition to improving access to water, NAPAD trained 14 community volunteers on water source chlorination and supplied them with the necessary chlorine. These volunteers regularly perform water chlorination at 20 strategically placed water sources in the IDP sites of Ladan, Kaharey, Kabasa, and Qansaxlay, as well as in the host communities of Dollow. This ongoing monitoring and treatment guarantees the quality of the water, which is especially important after floods that can contaminate water sources or damage infrastructure.