The capital city Hargeisa lies in the North-Western part of Somaliland. It is the biggest and one of the most important cities in Somaliland. Hargeisa Water Agency (HWA) is a government utility entity established in 1974 to operate the bulk water supply reservoir North of the town. HWA is fiscally and administratively autonomous and has the mandate to supply water to the city of Hargeisa. Over the last years, there have been numerous investments to bridge the Hargeisa water supply gap. All the water abstraction and supply projects draw water from the underground sources (aquifers).
Questions, therefore, linger on how long these aquifers can be used sustainably to provide water to the ever-increasing population of Hargeisa. Should alternative sources be considered?
One of the components under this project involves conducting a Study on sustainable water provision to Hargeisa looking at the present and future gross water demand vs water supply, future water demand and projected population and by assessing potential surface and groundwater development.
The overall objective of this assessment is to provide a long-term planning horizon to the Hargeisa city water supply by exploring the potentiality of the existing well fields (aquifers) and proposing new ones to understand how long they can be able to sustain the city water supply needs given the growing population, rapid urbanisation, and changing settlement patterns. The study will study existing and potential water sources (ground and surface), that can supply the city and estimate investment needs for the bulk water supply as identified.
The specific objectives of the assignment are as follows: determining and estimating the current and future demand for water supply services for Hargeisa city / assessing the capacity of the currently exploited aquifers around Hargeisa and the future sustainable yield / assessing recharge improvements of the exploited aquifers / assessing additional groundwater sources / assessing in detail surface and sub-surface dams’ potential around Hargeisa / studying different water source supply options to meet the demand over the planning horizons and how the potential options can be connected to the existing Hargeisa city water supply system / training of Hargeisa Water Agency.
