Ethiopia, 19 October 2025 – The Somali Regional State has inaugurated a water supply project in Danood district, Dollo zone, to address the severe water shortages that have plagued the town for years.
The project, completed over 18 months, beginning in August 2013, was officially launched during a ceremony attended by regional and district officials, led by the State’s Water Minister, Ahmed Mirad Layli; Dollo Zone Governor, Abdullahi Deq Hassan, and the Manager of the Lower Land Resilience Project (LLRP), Mukhtar Abdi Malim.
According to the officials, the new system will provide clean and reliable water to both local residents and pastoralists. They emphasized that the project will enhance public health, improve living conditions, and ease the burden on women and children who previously had to walk long distances in search of water.
A joint report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and World Bank shows that only 42 per cent of households in the State have access to clean water, compared to the Ethiopian national average of 65 per cent. Additionally, a study published by Frontiers in Water (2023) found that 57 per cent of households in the region face limited water access, while United States Agency for International Development (USAID) data indicates that less than 40 per cent of people in the lowland areas have reliable access to clean water year-round.
The Somali Regional State said the Danood project is part of its broader strategy to strengthen drought resilience, enhance livelihoods and reduce poverty through expanded access to sustainable water services.