Building water infrastructures for sustainable social development: An analysis from Somaliland

Over the years, the water agenda has been the center of discussions in Somaliland. These discussions have related to water expansion and its accessibility to all parts and levels of local communities. Sound water management and harvesting are critical to sustainable development and poverty reduction. Indeed, growth will be short-lived if it does not preserve the environment and the natural resources within it. In Somaliland, much of the damage has been caused by deforestation, overgrazing, and water gullies, which have affected the environment, water volume, and bottom line. The poor are often forced to live a fragile and near-fragile life; therefore, water requires sensitive resource management despite increasing degradation. The urban poor are exposed to diseases and illnesses resulting from overcrowding, inadequate basic services, and polluted living conditions. To address poverty and environmental degradation, it is important to empower the poor and give them a stake in managing the environment and natural resources such as water. This study examines water accessibility in Somaliland with a particular focus on urban centers, the effectiveness and management of those resources and their distribution, and how the urban residents receive water by dealing with the increasing and indirect impacts of water accessibility and the large-scale effects generated by the activities going on in Somaliland.