By Mohamed Abdi - Reporter
Ethiopia, 14 January 2026** – Authorities in Ethiopia’s Somali Regional State have moved to increase water supply for the regional capital, Jigjiga, with the completion of the first phase of a high-capacity borehole project in the Waaji area.
Somali Regional State President, Mustafe Muhummed Omar, accompanied by senior regional officials, visited the drilling sites on Tuesday to inspect the infrastructure, which is intended to address a sharp decline in the city's available water resources. The new wells are designed to replace aging infrastructure that local authorities say has reached the end of its operational life.
President Mustafe stated that the previous well field in Waaji had seen a significant reduction in productivity, falling to an output of approximately 3,000 cubic meters per day. This decline created a supply gap for the growing population of the regional capital. The new project, implemented in coordination with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is expected to add 5,000 cubic meters of daily production, significantly increasing the volume available to the city’s distribution network.
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Technical progress reports indicate that two of the planned seven wells have been fully excavated, while drilling operations are actively underway on an additional two. The remaining three boreholes are in the final preparation stages, with operations scheduled to begin within the next two months.
Once all seven units are integrated, the regional government expects a substantial increase in the water coverage rate for Jigjiga.
No immediate timeline was provided for the final integration of the full seven-well system into the municipal grid, though officials described the current progress as a priority intervention for the state.
