Ethiopia’s Somali Region Launches $1.3 Million Water Project to Ease Chronic Shortages

Ethiopia, 7 January 2026 — Authorities in Ethiopia’s Somali Regional State have officially inaugurated a 208 million Birr ($1.33 million) water supply project in the Yoxob District of the Erar Zone, aimed at providing clean water to over 13,000 residents and their livestock.

The project, which includes a 19-kilometer pipeline, was funded through the Lowlands Livelihood Resilience Project (LLRP), a multi-phase initiative supported by the World Bank and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to enhance climate resilience in pastoralist communities.

Ibrahim Osman Farah, Vice President of the Somali Regional State, led the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday. He noted that the new infrastructure would provide long-term relief to a district historically plagued by acute water shortages.

"Water scarcity exists in many places," Farah said during the event. "I hope our community will benefit closely from this new water source."