Hundreds of pastoral families living in remote villages in Sanag region are facing an acute water shortage due to drought conditions that are being exacerbated by large troops of monkeys sabotaging their wells.
Hassan Jama Mohamed, the head of Jianyo village, located 120 kilometres from Badhan town, said monkeys had been filling the people’s hand-dug wells with sand and stones. This was further reducing the already limited water supply caused by the drought.
Hassan said monkeys in their hundreds were also attacking herders when they were out with their livestock or carrying supplies.
“When the nomads bring water and food back to their homes, the monkeys steal it from them. People and animals both rely on water, as you know. When the monkeys can’t find water, they have been invading the few available sources, depriving people of the water they need. They are thirsty themselves, which is why this is happening,” he told Radio Ergo.
Most residents of Jianyo are pastoralists like Abdikadir Hassan Ise, who has a family of 14. The drought has taken a heavy toll on his livestock. He now has only 20 goats left from his original herd of 70.
He used to sell goat’s milk in the market to make a small income to buy food, but the water scarcity and lack of fodder has left his goats unproductive. He now provides for his family by taking food from local stores on credit.
“The water shortage has affected us to the point where we often go to bed thirsty, and there are times we don’t have water to cook with,” Abdikadir told Radio Ergo.
“The nomadic residents of the village are suffering from extreme thirst. We can’t afford to buy water, but we try to pool small amounts of money together to have a tanker deliver a few litres of water.”
Abdikadir can only give his livestock a limited amount of water once a week. He owes more than $3,000 and is surviving on credit from people who trust him and are willing to wait until he can repay them. Part of his mounting debt is owed to the water tanker owners.
About 20 kilometres in Hayamoge village, Haybe Ahmed Hassan is facing similar challenges. Haybe, 65, said this is the most severe water shortage he has experienced in the village.
He described how large troops of monkeys had been coming from nearby valleys affected by extreme heat during the dry season. The monkeys had been engaging in battles at the four hand-dug wells in the area with residents trying to fend them off to protect their resources. Then the monkeys began filling the wells with stones and sand.
Since August, Haybe said he had lost 20 goats, leaving him with 40 animals that are thin and feeble from lack of water and fodder.
His family of 12 receives only three litres of water every two days from neighbours who can afford to buy from tankers bringing water from a well 120 kilometres away, selling at $7 per barrel.
“Thirst has severely affected the people, and many have been forced to migrate. Those who can no longer afford to buy water have migrated. The village is extremely vulnerable to the drought, and there is no nearby water source that people can access,” Haybe told Radio Ergo’s local reporter.
Most have abandoned the village in search of water but Haybe’s 40 goats can’t trek far in the dry conditions and he has no money to hire a vehicle to ferry his livestock and family.
He has had to stay put in the village where they are struggling to find meals and relying on the goodwill of their neighbours.
“There are families without any resources who survive by sharing meals with their neighbours. We can’t support each other much, but everyone shares what they cook. That’s how we help each other, but there’s no business or trade happening here.”
It is estimated that nearly 2,000 families in Jianyo and Hayamoge villages are affected by the crisis of water scarcity.
In recent years, attacks by wild animals on nomadic herders and farmers seem to have increased, targeting water sources, livestock, crops, and food supplies. Locals attribute the wild animal’s aggression to hunger and thirst caused by food and water shortages brought on by the prolonged drought.
