The families were given no notice to prepare to leave Iraroog camp and had to leave everything behind. The camp had been developed with access to free water, healthcare and education services.

Abdirahman Ali Isaaq lost the small shop where he sold assorted goods and vegetables, which earned him $3 to $5 a day and supported his family of nine.

“The businesses we relied on have been destroyed. We used to have three meals a day, but now even one meal is difficult. We are facing hardship and distress,” he complained.

Abdirahman started the shop with $400 saved from funds given by Islamic Relief programme, which ended three years ago. The business had about $300 worth of stock and he can’t afford to reopen it.

Five of his children attended schools in the camp, but now they have no access to education.

“We had everything we needed, including food and education, but now we are facing many hardships. We do not even have the means to build shelter,” he said.

The family had to leave the two huts where they had lived for five years. Their utensils and bedding were lost or damaged, while the worn-out plastic sheets used for shelter were left behind because they couldn’t be carried.

They live now exposed to heat and cold and struggling to access water. Abdirahman said they sometimes beg for water as they can’t afford the $0.25 charged for 20 litres at a private well.

The family came to Baidoa after fleeing Berdale district in Bay region in 2022 after drought destroyed their six-hectare farm.

Another evicted resident, Aadan Abdi Ali, said his family of 10 felt hopeless and he couldn’t find any work. His children, the youngest aged two, often go to bed hungry. Neighbours and relatives sometimes give them up to a kilogram of food or $1 to prepare a meal.

“The biggest problems we are facing are shelter, water and food. We used to prepare three meals a day, but now even one meal is difficult. We have nothing here and no means to start anything. We have been living outside since July. Our situation is extremely difficult,” he said.

Aadan’s vegetable stall that had made up to $5 a day was destroyed. He started the stall with $150 in loans and support from relatives. It had grown to nearly $500 in value. He had restocked it with vegetables just one day before the eviction.

The vegetables later spoiled because he had nowhere to sell them and they were exposed to the sun. He still owes suppliers more than $200.

“I have many outstanding debts from the place we left. I have searched for work but have been unable to find any. These hardships are causing us immense distress,” he said.

Aadan, 44, said he had no other source of income or support. Assistance from aid agencies has stopped, while relatives in rural areas can’t help because poor rainfall has affected their livestock and farms.

He had lived in Iraroog camp for four years. Five of his children were attending the free primary school. He can’t pay the $5 charged per child at nearby private schools.

His family fled Qansahdheere district in Bay region in 2023 after the latest crops on his four-hectare farm dried up due to lack of water. Twenty-seven of their goats and cattle died from disease and drought.

The chairwoman of Iraroog camp, Salmo Hassan Mohamed, said the families had lived there free of charge for seven years and were given no prior warning as the land was being sold.

“More than 160 displaced families are staying in an open area with nothing and have no access to basic services,” she said. “We appeal to humanitarian organisations, the Somali government and the South West State administration to provide urgent assistance and help save their lives.”

The eviction led to the closure of a health centre that provided free maternal healthcare, vaccinations and medicines. More than 300 children from Iraroog and surrounding areas are now out of school, according to the camp chairwoman. The water reservoirs used by the families were also removed.

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With a household of 13, Farhiya said all the vegetables and other crops she expected to harvest on her farm near Afgoye in early August were wiped out. She had spent heavily on seeds, irrigation and farm preparation in Marerey village. But now, she is unable to plant again as the water shortage continues and she is financially broke.

“The biggest challenge is the water shortage, which has destroyed all our crops,” she said. “The river has run dry and there are no wells here. We planted the crops in May, but they have not been ready for harvest as expected.”

Scores of farmers in Marerey, Jambalul and Shukurow villages, northeast of Afgoye, are facing similar hardship after their crops failed due to lack of river water.

Farhiya said the family was struggling to obtain food and water. She sometimes gets food on credit from shops, and relatives give her the occasional dollar. A 20-litre container of water costs $0.25, which she cannot afford so she relies on small amounts of water from neighbours.

Four of her children have stopped attending their Koranic school after she failed to pay the $5 monthly fee for the past three months.

She is being pursued for repayment of the $500 she borrowed for the farm and owes a further $180 for food, water and other bought on credit for her children.

“I had hoped the farm would support my family and allow me to continue farming, but I lost everything I invested and am now left with debts and no means to support my children or plant another crop,” she said.

Having farmed all her life, she has no other skills to earn an income and is struggling to cope.

The water shortage is affecting many other farmers along the Shabelle river, while rising fuel costs are making irrigation unaffordable and reducing agricultural production.

Another farmer, Mohamed Hassan Omar, said he lost all the crops he planted on his three-hectare farm in May, including maize, sorghum, beans, tomatoes, cucumbers and other vegetables. He had taken loans for the farm investment, hoping to make a decent profit to support his family and repay his debts.

“We have been badly affected by the crop failure caused by the lack of irrigation, as the river has run dry,” he said. “I lost about $900 invested in the farm and have no other source of income. The crops and vegetables dried up, leaving us with nothing to eat or sell.”

The family of 16 are struggling to obtain food and water. They get water on credit from a private well, where a container costs $0.25. They cook one meal a day, eking out the 20 kilograms of food he borrowed in early August. He owes $70 for this food, in addition to $200 he already owed.

He looked for farm labour work in other areas but couldn’t find any. Some days, the family cannot cook a meal, with his young children particularly affected.

“Life has become very difficult for our family. We depended on the farms for our livelihood, but we have lost the benefits they provided. I have been unable to provide my children with enough water, food and

education,” he said. “We are facing severe financial hardship, and everything we depended on for our livelihood has been lost.”

Eight of Mohamed’s children dropped out of Koranic school in July as he couldn’t pay their combined monthly fee of $40. He is distressed by their lack of education but has no solution.

His financial difficulties have also affected his sister and her five children, as he can’t pay her the $50 and food he used to provide them each month. They are resorting to begging.

Mohamed’s family has lived in Shukurow for generations and depended for more than 20 years on the farm he inherited from his father. He said the crop losses have ruined them.

The chairman of the local Dan-wadaag Farmers’ Cooperative, Abdi Mohamed Abdullahi, said they needed joint efforts to restore the neglected irrigation canals.

“The water shortage has become increasingly severe, while the high cost of fuel has made it difficult to afford irrigation for the farms,” he said. “As a result, the income generated from agricultural production has declined”.

The farmers’ cooperative is seeking solutions for a reliable supply of irrigation water, but they need support in the form of equipment and technical expertise.

Abdi said the irrigation problems had persisted for a long time but had now reached their worst level due to declining river water levels, neglected canals and farmers’ financial difficulties.

The cooperative has requested assistance from local authorities and aid agencies but has had no response.

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The Jubbaland administration allocated each family a 600-square-metre plot of land. However, residents say the new settlement has no employment opportunities and they are facing shortages of food, water and adequate shelter.

Fatuma Hassan Hussein, a mother of eight, has been unable to find work since moving to Halgan four months ago. She used to support her children by washing clothes for people in Kismayo. However, travelling to the city and back costs $8, while she earns only $3 for a day’s laundry work.

With no income, Fatuma relies on assistance from neighbours and sometimes begs to provide food for her children.

“There is no one here who will give us goods on credit,” she said. “The people we know in Kismayo say we have moved far away and they can’t trust us with credit.”

Free education is the main service available to families in Halgan. Five of Fatuma’s children attend primary and intermediate school. They have not been able to build a permanent house on the land allocated to them because of a lack of money. Strong winds destroyed their makeshift shelter in mid-August.

All the families in Halgan share only 70 toilets.

Fatuma said they had lived for 14 years in their previous Mareeray camp in Kismayo.

“We agreed to move because the land where we lived did not belong to us,” she said. “The land we have been given here belongs to us and no one is asking us to leave.”

Fatuma’s family was displaced from Bula Mareer in Middle Juba in 2011, where their 10-hectare farm eventually dried up due to drought.

Mohamed Wali Dayib, whose family has 12 members, has remained in Kismayo to work as a labourer loading and unloading vehicles. He earns about $4 a day and can’t afford the daily transport costs between Kismayo and Halgan, leaving him separated from his family. He visits them on days when he has no work.

Mohamed, a father of 10, said his family can cook only once a day. “On most days, we only cook one meal. There are also young children suffering from malnutrition,” he said.

Food shortages have been compounded by poor shelter. Strong winds destroyed the family’s house, leaving them with only one room made of corrugated iron sheets. “When the wind is strong, the house makes so much noise that we cannot sleep,” he said.

The Halgan settlement has no well, forcing residents to travel three kilometres to the Jubba River to collect water. Families unable to fetch water themselves buy it from donkey carts, at a cost of 50 cents per container.

“Sometimes my wife carries the water herself, and sometimes I ask neighbours to lend me a handcart to collect water,” Mohamed said.

Mohamed’s family lived in Tawakal 2 camp in Kismayo for 12 years. They were displaced from Middle Juba by conflict and drought after losing 75 goats and 60 cattle.

The Jubbaland administration says it has completed the first phase of the Halgan settlement project, providing primary and intermediate education, land ownership and free services at a Maternal and Child Health centre.

The head of the Resettlement Office of Jubbaland’s agency for displaced people, Mohamed Omar Hassan, said further support was planned this year, including providing livestock to families, supporting fishing activities with training, boats and equipment, and allocating farmland for cultivation. Construction of irrigation canals was also underway.

A hospital with more than 20 rooms and surgical services is expected to open in the settlement.

Jubbaland launched its durable solutions programme for internally displaced people in 2024 and has allocated approximately five square kilometres of land for resettlement. However, lack of jobs and means to earn a living continue to make life difficult for those living in Halgan.

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Anab used to make $5 to $6 a day from her shop that was enough to cover the family’s food, water and other basic needs.

“We can now cook only once a day,” she complained. “Previously, we prepared breakfast, lunch and dinner, but now the business we depended on has closed.”

The tax, locally known as macaashal-macaash (profit tax), rose from 10% to 15% in January and applies to all business income or profits, as well as other sources such as rental income for house landlords.

The elderly Anab says her family is having to rely on help from relatives and neighbours. Food obtained on credit has run out, as she owes $200 to food shops in Ugaaso neighbourhood and can’t afford to clear the debt.

With commercial tankers charging $3 for a drum, they have to ask if they can spare a 20-litre jerrycan a day. She is too old to look for other jobs and her two sons have failed to find work.

“With the new tax our income was not enough to cover expenses, at the same time as the cost of goods and food prices rose sharply, leaving us unable to buy stock,” she said.

The three grandchildren under Anab’s care have stopped attending Koranic school as she failed to pay $100 in outstanding fees in June.

Many small-business owners Radio Ergo interviewed in Hargeisa said they were unable to cope with the 5% increase, which added significantly to the financial pressure on their businesses during already tough economic times.

Another resident, Hooda Ahmed Abdullahi, says her 12-member family is facing its most difficult circumstances in seven years after her small shop closed. She set it up with financial support from relatives.

Now the family can only afford to cook one meal a day, costing about $4. Her father earns income from house construction work only about once a week. Water tankers charge $8.50 to fill the five drums at their home. As they can’t afford this, they borrow jerrycans from neighbours.

Hooda says the family owes $150 in rent for three months for their two metal-sheet rooms. Their electricity has been disconnected as they failed to pay the $30 monthly bill. They use flashlights borrowed from relatives.

Her elderly mother, who has diabetes and high blood pressure, is suffering from recurrent high fevers and the family can’t afford healthcare for her.

“My mother used to support us, but she is now unable to work and we cannot afford her medication. Relatives who helped us before are no longer able to do so,” said Hooda, who is the eldest child in the family.

She has searched for cleaning work to pay for her mother’s medicines but has been unsuccessful. Four children in the family have dropped out of their primary and middle school due to failure to pay their $60 monthly fees.

The secretary of an association representing small business owners, Fadumo Hayd Ali, told Radio Ergo that nearly 100 traders had closed the small businesses that their families depended on. They are low-income people, and have attributed the increase in the profit tax as a burden they could not bear.

Businesses started closing from June. Rising fuel prices and the general cost of living have already bitten into people’s incomes. Water prices have risen, with a tank that previously cost $50 now selling for $70.

“Some people can no longer afford to cook, while others have been forced to leave their homes because they cannot pay rent. Education is also affected as families struggle after their businesses close,” Fadumo said.

Traders have appealed to the government for leniency due to their situation but have received no response. The government says the profit tax is part of its efforts to increase domestic revenue collection and strengthen the tax system. 

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Jamal Hassan Mohamed, with a household of 10, says he has been unable to provide sufficient food for his family since July. He extracts sand at sites outside the city and transports it for construction use – but cannot afford to pay the new tax.

“Our living conditions are extremely difficult,” he said. “People in the areas outside the city have prohibited the work, and we’ve been forced to stay at home. Before, we had a source of income to support our household expenses, but now we are unemployed.”

Jamal, 50, said he earned $7 to $10 a day from the work, enabling him as sole breadwinner to provide three meals a day for his family. They struggle to get water, as he can’t afford the $0.25 per 20-litre container of water at the Deg-umur IDP camp where they live. He and his wife now walk for an hour to a privately owned shallow well to ask for a single 20-litre container of water.

“We used to cook three times a day, but now we only cook once,” he complained. “I go around the city asking people for help saying, brother please help me with one dollar or a kilogram of sugar or whatever you can.”

Three of his children were expelled from school and Koranic classes this month after he was unable to pay their fees of $30. He is worried about their future with no education. He has not managed to find any casual labour jobs in the city.

Jamal’s family was displaced in 2022, from Berdale in Bay region where their five-hectare farm failed due to several consecutive seasons of drought.

Nuradin Macalin Aadan, another sand excavator, is struggling to provide for his family of eight. He goes round appealing for assistance in the neighbourhoods but gets very little. He even has to beg for water.

For the past four years, he had earned $7 to $10 a day selling sand. He has no other job skills. The family is burdened by $35 in outstanding fees owed to a Koranic and a regular school for two months. He has been refused credit for food from a local shop.

Nuradin, who has lived in Doygaab IDP camp for two years, said he can only hope that something might change.

“What worries me most is how I will meet our household expenses and provide for our lives. Since we lost our jobs, we have accumulated many debts, and our children’s lives have become extremely difficult. We keep praying that God will make it possible for us to find work,” he said. “What is most important for us now is to be allowed to return to work.”

Vehicle owners have attempted to continue transporting sand discreetly, but their efforts were halted when Al-Shabaab seized three vehicles, heightening fears among others for their safety and property.

Nuradin’s family was displaced from Goof-gaduud Buurey, Baidoa, in 2024 after severe drought destroyed the four-hectare farm they depended on.

A member of the transporters’ committee representing the workers, Abdinasir Abdi Ali, told Radio Ergo that the restrictions have had a major impact on families with no alternative sources of income.

“We are currently facing serious challenges due to excessive payments that have been imposed on us, which we are unable to afford. There are now even vehicles being held by Al-Shabaab because of these payments and related issues. We are facing extremely serious difficulties as a result of these circumstances,” he told Radio Ergo.

Abdinasir said many poor displaced families depended on the sand excavation and transportation business. He said each vehicle had been required to pay $200 per month that was unaffordable to the operators. He called for their grievances to be addressed urgently.

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Fardowso Nur Mohamed has struggled to secure adequate food, water and shelter for her six children since arriving in Horiyo camp in April. They have largely relied on assistance from other camp residents, many of whom are also facing significant financial and humanitarian challenges.

They are sometimes forced to sleep on empty stomachs. She arrived at the camp with virtually nothing and has no relatives or acquaintances in Galkayo to turn to for support.

“Sometimes we get food and sometimes we don’t. Last night, I couldn’t prepare dinner for my children because I had nothing to give them. They were crying from hunger, and I couldn’t do anything to help them,” she told Radio Ergo.

“I have no job, and there is no father working to provide for them. The only thing I can do is go from house to house asking for help to find something for my children to eat.”

Fardowso, 43, is raising her children alone after separating from their father, who has not provided any support. The children are at risk of malnutrition because they rarely receive sufficient nutritious food.

She tried to obtain milk and vegetables on credit from shops in Galkayo, but traders declined because they don’t know her and have no basis for trust.

All her children have been infected by a severe flu that is spreading and by high fever that she thinks could be malaria as the camp is infected with mosquitoes. She has no money to take them to a health facility.

They are sleeping in a makeshift structure made of cloth and poles that is too cramped to accommodate them all.

“Our shelter is not safe. Thieves come to the camp, and anyone who wants to steal can make a hole in the back of the shelter and enter, so we stay awake all night, afraid that we could be attacked or our harmed,” she said. “The shelter doesn’t protect us from rain, sun or wind. We are living in extremely poor shelter and very difficult conditions.”

Fardowso and her family were displaced from the Saahaqurun area of Mudug after all their 50 goats died due to prolonged pasture shortages caused by inadequate rainfall over three consecutive years.

She spends the entire day going around the city looking for people who might offer her cleaning work, but often returns without finding any jobs because she is not known in the area. She has spent her entire life as a pastoralist. She thought they would receive some assistance in the camp but has been disappointed.

Most pastoralists living in Mudug region are facing similar hardships as a result of recurrent drought and livestock losses.

Hawo Adan Dirshe, a widow, has been living in Horiyo camp for two months, with insufficient food and shelter. For the first time in her life, she said she has been forced to beg for help from people living in the city. Her children, the youngest being four years old, sometimes go without food throughout the day and night.

Acute Water Scarcity

The only tap serving the entire camp has been out of service for about a month and a half as residents were unable to pay their outstanding water bills.

“We have been neglected when it comes to water since we arrived. We owe the water company a lot of money, and every day the water office staff come and demand payment by threatening us, but we have nothing to give them,” she said. “We have gone several days without accessing water.”

Hawo, 39, was also disappointed to find no aid or services in the camp. She has no job skills for the city and can’t earn any income to support her children.

She has accumulated big debts at shops in Galkayo over the past two years, where she had been obtaining food on credit. Earlier this year, the shopkeepers capped her credit for food and are threatening to arrest her for non-payment of debts:

“I currently owe $280 to one shop and another $50 to a different shop. Last night, the woman from whom I used to obtain food called me and asked me to repay the debt. I told her that I’d pay when I received some money, but at present, I have nothing. She told me if I hadn’t paid the previous debt, not to come asking her for anything else.”

Hawo’s family was displaced from the rural areas of Galkayo after losing their 70 goats to drought. Recovery would be hard, she said, without any alternative source of living.

More families arriving

A member of the camp administration, Hamdi Said Yusuf, said Sahan, Mudud and Dooho camps had registered 254 newly displaced families over the past three months, and more were coming, placing pressure on overall resources.

“The needs are enormous. They don’t have food, water or fuel for cooking, and some of them are sleeping in the open. We can’t meet these needs. We ourselves are dependent on assistance, and when two people are both without resources, neither can support the other. All we can do is register the newcomers and build places for them to live,” she said.

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Authorities said those exchanging money at rates not commensurate with the new official exchange rate of 11,000 (buying) to 11,100 (selling) Somaliland shillings per US dollar, were operating outside the law.

Unlicensed money changers are no longer able to exchange cash through the popular Zaad and eDahab mobile money services.

Jimale Hassan Suleiman, 19, said he was given no time to prepare and had to leave Form Four at the Today Secondary School in Hargeisa as he could no longer pay the $25 monthly fee. He was also supporting four younger siblings and his parents on his income as a money changer.

“The decision to stop our work came suddenly. Even the shops that used to trust us no longer give us anything on credit because they know the money exchange business has been stopped. When we call relatives, they can’t give us much to help us either so this decision has affected us very badly,” he complained.

Jimale made $20 to $30 a day from money changing, from which he paid $60 a month for rent, electricity and water as well as other household expenses. He started this in 2023 with a loan from a friend: “We had an older brother who supported us, but he got married and the burden of the family fell on me. A friend gave me $100 and that’s how I entered the market. Now I don’t see any hope with the government’s strict regulation.”

Jimale has no savings and is concerned now about supporting his younger siblings and his parents, with certain health conditions.

“I thought I would go into construction, but I could not find work,” he said. “I feel a lot of pressure and sadness because I don’t know where to turn. I don’t have another skill.”

The authorities have applied the cost of $700 for a licence to register to operate as a money; changer there is also an annual tax of $130.

Awo Adan Mohamed, 24, who started in the business with $50 from a relative, says there is no way she can afford the official licence.

“We used to manage three meals a day without much difficulty. Now even one meal is hard to provide. Life is becoming more difficult, and the work we depended on has stopped. Our situation is very difficult,” she said.

She made $300 to $400 a month from money exchange and used the income to support her mother and three younger siblings. She is now staying at home without another source of income. She took over supporting the household after her father died last year. Her mother has a liver condition and can’t work and the family struggle to afford medical care.

“I feel extremely sad and I keep thinking about what I can do. I have looked for other jobs, including women’s work such as henna and makeup, but I have found nothing. It comes down to connections and knowing people. Life has become very difficult, and the only work we depended on has been taken away,” she said.

Two of her siblings have stopped attending school because she can no longer afford the $20 fees.

Another young provider, Samira Mohamed Hassan, 20, worked changing money for two years to support her family of eight. She has just taken $90 worth of food on credit and doesn’t know how they will repay or manage when it is finished.

“I used to earn at least $15 to $20 a day from money changing. Unemployment has caused six of my younger siblings to stop attending school and madrassa. I used to pay $40 for the madrassa and $45 for school. We have also lost the three meals a day we used to have. Sometimes I call relatives and ask them to help, but you can’t escape poverty or satisfy your needs through other people’s help alone,” she said.

Samira’s parents struggled to put their children through school and could not afford to send Samira to university. She had been hoping to help her younger siblings avoid the same obstacle.

The traders put out of business are calling on the government to review the situation and find a way for them to continue earning a living – although there appears little likelihood of such a reprieve.

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“I now eat at least twice a day, and sometimes three times. Before, I was struggling to survive, sometimes finding work and sometimes not. Things have changed for me now. I support two families through this work,” he said.

Shueyb started fishing in February after his father, the family’s main provider, became ill with epilepsy and could no longer work. He bought a simple fishing line with a curved metal hook for $28 from a relative.

He remains on the shore for hours, pulling out fish when they take the bait and casting the line back into the water again. He used to push a handcart making about $2 a day. Fishing provides far better income, although the hours are long. He sells his fish in Mogadishu markets and cooks whatever remains unsold at home:

“Sometimes the sea is generous and we catch a lot. At other times, especially when the wind is strong, there is very little. Outside the windy season, I get good fish and that is what I use to support our daily needs.”

Shueyb is responsible for his three children, six younger siblings, and his parents. His children are not yet in school, but he pays $8 a month for his sister’s primary education.

The family moved to Sa’id camp in June 2024 after fleeing rural areas of Hiran following conflict and drought that wiped out their herd of 100 cattle, goats and camels. He hopes to obtain better equipment to increase his catch and make this new livelihood a stable one for his family.

Many young people fish along the Gubadley, Geeleq, Karan and Jasiira coastal areas of Mogadishu, relatively close to the city and with rocky sections where fish gather. They are also less crowded than popular beaches such as Lido.

Hussein Mohamed Yusuf, 19, who lives in Gubadley, is another young fisherman earning about $10 a day. He pays $30 a month for his own evening classes and uses the rest to help his family. He took up fishing as his father struggled to meet the needs of the household of 11 on his $170 monthly wage as a hotel guard.

“I’m studying English at night. I use part of what I earn during the day to pay for private lessons and give the rest to my family,” he said. “We are a poor family, so I started working at sea to help support them.”

He began fishing last April after learning from friends who were already doing the work. He uses a small net and sometimes ventures into the water, although he cannot swim.

“There is a lot of danger. Sometimes the waves are strong when I try to catch fish,” he said. “I’m afraid to go into the sea even when I can see plenty of fish. If I could swim, I would be among the bigger fishermen who bring in much larger catches.”

Hussein has saved about $70 to cushion his family from emergencies. Fishing is his first job and has given him a sense of independence after depending on his parents. He now contributes to the household and helps his younger siblings.

Mohamed Abdiweli Muse, a member of a fish traders’ cooperative that buys the young fishermen’s catch, said more than 100 young people are involved in this type of fishing around Mogadishu. Many are determined to improve their lives but lack the equipment to increase their production.

“We give priority to these young people because they have taken the initiative to fish even though they don’t have proper maritime skills. As cooperatives, we also make sure they have a market for what they catch. We buy all the fish they bring. We pay between $1 and $1.50 per kilogramme, depending on the type and quality of the fish,” he explained.

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Their livestock have lost much of their value, shrinking their income so they are virtually destitute. The local ponds have had little rainfall to fill them and have no channels to bring in additional water. They also lack linings to prevent the ground from absorbing what they do collect.

Ahmed Adan Hassan, who lives in Balli-khayre, said his family of 11 could not afford a $6 barrel of water transported from Miirjilay, about 30 kilometres away. The household survives on 10 to 20 litres a day, mostly shared by neighbours, leaving little for washing or other hygiene needs.

“Water shortages have always been a problem here, but they have become much worse. There is very little water and people are suffering from severe thirst,” he told Radio Ergo. “We used to rely on our livestock to get through difficult times, but drought has destroyed their value, and even finding water has become harder.”

Ahmed used to buy water on credit and repay when his livestock recovered. That arrangement ended in May after he accumulated $300 in debt that he couldn’t repay because his animals were so weak they were unproductive. Several times, he asked relatives for water, but they were unable to assist.

The water crisis has devastated his livestock. Ahmed said he was forced to leave the area four times in search of water and pasture, only to return when he could not find a better place to settle: “Water shortages have killed many of our animals. Last year I lost close to 100 livestock as drought, lack of pasture, disease and thirst all came together.”

He now has only 47 weak goats left. The family has lost access to milk, meat and livestock sales, leaving them short of food. Their only regular help comes from relatives in Dhuumoodle, who sometimes share part of their food.

“Life in the rural areas is very difficult today. There is no water or pasture, and people’s lives are at risk. The livestock we depended on are disappearing,” he concluded

Ahmed said the rural way of life had changed irreparably over the past decade. Water and pasture that were readily available have become increasingly scarce, while communities still rely largely on rainfall and natural grazing.

He believes the area’s natural water catchments could provide a better buffer against dry seasons if they were developed to store the water and if more fodder was grown for livestock.

Another pastoralist, Abdiwahid Abdullahi Hussein from Balli-sonkor, said local ponds were filled after the most recent though little rainfall, but dried up within two weeks. Since April, his family has struggled with water shortages that caused the loss of 23 of his livestock.

He has 27 animals left and has to buy water from tankers that sell a 30-barrel delivery for about $125. He stopped being given water on credit in May after accumulating a $200 debt.

His surviving livestock are too weak to sell, leaving the family of six children dependent on loans and occasional help from relatives in nearby towns.

“It has become very difficult to sell an animal and take it to market. Most of the time it is not possible. Our family depended on livestock and we have no other means. We urgently need support with water because our lives depend on it,” he said.

Local ponds and water wells, their main water sources, are often empty. When rain comes, the water quickly disappears into the ground because the ponds lack plastic or cement lining. The areas in Adado most affected include Balli-khayre, Balli-sonkor, Mirhaylay and Balliad.

Abdiqadir Mohamed Ibrahim, an environmental specialist, said the region’s water-storage problem was longstanding and had become more serious as poor rainfall persisted. Ponds in these areas could collectively hold more than 10,000 cubic metres of water if they were properly rehabilitated and managed. That amount could supply thousands of families for at least a year.

He estimated that rehabilitating the ponds and putting proper systems in place would cost at least $100,000:

“The best approach is to deepen the ponds and line them with plastic or another material so that the water does not quickly seep into the ground. It is also important to build small dams and larger storage tanks. These measures could provide a lasting solution for pastoralist communities.”

Abdiqadir called for a long-term government plan to develop water-storage infrastructure in the affected areas. He also encouraged pastoralists to work together to build smaller water catchments when larger projects are beyond their means.

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