By Abdullahi Salad - Reporter
Ethiopia, 18 January 2026 Ethiopia’s Somali Regional State (SRS) launched a major infrastructure project on Saturday to modernize urban sanitation and waste management in the city of Dhagax-buur.
The facility, which involves the construction of a wet waste treatment and sanitation plant, is valued at approximately 700 million Ethiopian Birr ($12.5 million). It is part of a broader national initiative supported by the World Bank to improve living conditions and urban infrastructure across the country.
Somali Regional State Minister in President's Office, Hussein Hashi Qasim, and Water Bureau Minister, Ahmed Mirad Layli, laid the foundation stone for the project.
Regional officials said the plant is expected to be completed and operational within 18 months.
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The project is designed to address public health risks by improving the containment and treatment of urban waste. Qasim said the facility would also support the local economy by creating jobs and producing organic fertilizer from processed waste for use in agriculture.
He added that the initiative will transform waste that was previously a community burden into a usable resource for farmers.
Dhagax-buur is one of 23 cities selected for the World Bank-funded program, which aims to establish sustainable sanitation chains in Ethiopia's rapidly growing urban centers.
Layli noted that the investment is critical for reducing waterborne diseases and urged local residents to cooperate with the construction teams to ensure the project's long-term success.
