When the shallow wells in Kulan Jareer ran dry, Salaado Mohamed Abdullahi had to choose between thirst and the unknown. With her seven children, she left home and walked nearly 28 miles to the unfamiliar Lideer camp for Internally Displaced Persons near Wajid, hoping to find water. “Many people from my village relocated to other areas with functional wells, but queues in towns were long, and the wells were nearly a mile away,” she said. “We often came home with very little water.”
People from the Hudor community walking to fetch water from a new water source constructed by Action Against Hunger.
Now, clean water is only 40 yards from Salaado’s homestead. Her family is receiving nearly 12 gallons of treated water per day through Action Against Hunger’s 3-month emergency water trucking program, supported by the British Embassy Mogadishu through the CaafimaadPlus consortium.
Hygiene volunteers also visit homes and lead group sessions on safe water storage and handwashing. These efforts help families reduce the risk of waterborne diseases.
“Access to water has made our lives easier,” said Salaado. “We no longer spend hours searching for water, and we can focus on our families. We are truly grateful for the timely aid that arrived in our moment of greatest need, and we pray for rain to refill the wells.”
Salaado and her children with jerry cans of clean water.
Across Wajid, Baidoa, and Hudur district, the program has reached 12,948 people with temporary access to safe water delivered through water trucking.
Households also received hygiene kits containing soap, Aquatabs (water purification tablets), buckets, and jerrycans. These items help families treat and store water safely.
People queue for water at a distribution site.
Action Against Hunger is constructing 165 latrines in IDP settlements to reduce open defecation by children after the 2024 El Niño floods destroyed many sanitation facilities.
In coordination with the WASH Cluster, 2,589 WASH kits—each containing a bucket, 100 Aquatab tablets, a jerrycan, three large bars of soap, and a menstrual pad—were distributed to IDP camps and nutrition centers serving children with severe acute malnutrition
A Crisis Worsening with Climate Change
Somalia is grappling with a severe water crisis after consecutive failed rainy seasons. Forecasts for the Deyr 2025 rains predict only moderate to low rainfall of 50–100 millimeters in most areas, and the 2025 Gu rains were erratic and poorly distributed. Groundwater levels dropped, drying up many shallow wells. The crisis is one of the country’s most urgent humanitarian challenges. More than 5.2 million people need Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) assistance in 2025, yet only 6 to 7 percent of the required funding has been secured.
Although Somalia contributes less than 0.03 percent of global carbon emissions, it bears some of the harshest effects of climate change. Drought, flooding, and conflict continue to displace families and destroy livelihoods, driving hunger and malnutrition across the country. Rainfall has become less predictable. Herders are migrating to towns in search of water for people and livestock. Rural livelihoods are facing constant threat of water shortage. Urban areas face growing pressure on limited water sources, increasing the risk of conflict over scarce resources.
Water costs have also risen. In many parts of Bakool, a five-gallon jerrycan costs about 5,000 Somali shillings (~ $ 0.22) — expensive for most displaced families to afford. Some households ration water, prioritizing drinking over washing or cooking. Those who depend on casual labor or small-scale trade often face impossible choices between buying food or water.
WASH and Food Security in Somalia
Action Against Hunger sees addressing WASH needs as fundamental to increasing food security and resilience.
“Access to safe water is essential in preventing disease and hunger, particularly during this time of significant funding reduction,” said Mohammed Rashid, Head of WASH at Action Against Hunger in Somalia. “We provide emergency water to keep families healthy and stable, while also addressing one of the underlying causes of hunger—the lack of reliable water for people, livestock, and crops.”
Beyond trucking, Action Against Hunger invests in shallow wells and sustainable water systems across districts through other complementary funding.
“As displacement continues, the demand for water is growing. We must respond both to the emergency and the long-term need,” Rashid said.
