Political boundaries shown may not be accurate
Somalia National Committee on Irrigation Drainage
The information displayed is not the latest.
Population (M): 15
Geo. Area (Km2): 637,660
Irrigated Area (Mha): 0.2
Drained Area (Mha): 0
Sprinkler Irrigation (Ha):
Micro Irrigation (Ha): Major River Basins (Km2):
Ministry of Agriculture and irrigation Director of Irrigation, Federal Republic of Somalia, Wardhigley District, Mogadishu-Somalia, P.O .BOX 124, Mogadishu-Somalia
National Committee Directory+
Country Profile-
Geography
Somalia is an African country, in the horn of Africa, occupying the northeastern part of the continent, which covers an area of 637,660 Sq.Km. It has the longest coastline in Africa (3333 Km) and ranks 42nd in the world in terms of its total area. The geographical coordinates of Somalia are 5.1521°N, 46.1996°E. Somalia is bordered by the Gulf of Aden to the north and the Indian Ocean to the east. Kenya borders the country in the south, Ethiopia in the west, and by Djibouti in the north-west. It accounts for 0.4% of the total area of the world. Somalia is a country of geographic diversity. It has five distinct geographical zones based on topography: the northern coastal plains, the northern mountainous region, the central coastal plains, the plateau in southern and central Somalia, and the floodplains of south Somalia. The landscape of Somalia comprises of thorn-bush savanna and semi desert. Apart from a mountainous coastal zone in the north and several river valleys, most of the country is extremely flat, with few natural barriers.
Population and land use
The total population of Somalia was 15.4 Million in mid-2019, according to the Population Reference Bureau. The density of the population of Somalia is 25 inhabitants per Sq.Km. In terms of its share in the world population, it works out to 0.20%. Somalia ranks 73rd among the most populous countries in the world. Somalis constitute the largest ethnic group of Somalia, representing 85% of the total population of Somalia. Other ethnic groups include Bantus, Bajunis, Eyle, Ethiopians, Indians, Pakistanis, Persians, Arabs, Italians, and Britons. The cultivated area of Somalia was 1.0 Mha in 2002, of which 0.026 Mha was under permanent crops, while permanent pastures covered 43 Mha.
Climate and rainfall
The climate in Somalia varies from arid to semi-arid. The average annual daytime temperature is about 27ºC. It is hot and dry in the heartland and on the Gulf of Aden, but cooler along the Indian Ocean coast and on the inland floodplains. The mean annual precipitation is 282 mm. Somalia experiences two spells of monsoon. The first one from April to June, which has the most rains and the second one from October to November, which is somewhat subdued. Similarly, it has two dry spells—the first one from December to March and the second one from July to September. The long-term mean annual rainfall varies from 93 mm in the Darror basin to 549 mm in the Lag Badana basins. The maximum annual rainfall within Somalia of Juba and Shabelle is a high of about 700 mm in areas around Mareere in the lower parts of the Juba and Lag Badana basins. Annual potential for evapotranspiration varies from 1500 mm on the south coast to 2900 mm on the north coast. Somalia is a drought-prone country. Moderate droughts occur every 3-4 years, and severe droughts occur every 7-9 years.
Food and agriculture
Somalia is an agro-based economy. The agriculture sector employs 65% of the workforce of the country. Southern Somalia is where most of the farming in the country takes place. The Juba River and Shabelle River pass through these provinces, rendering the soil more conducive to crop cultivation. In comparison, the arid north has traditionally seen pastoralism. The crops grown in Somalia include rice, corn, beans, sorghum, sugarcane, sesame, fruits, vegetables etc. Crop production is limited mainly to the alluvial plains of the Juba and Shabelle rivers and inter-riverine areas of the Bay region, which accounts for 90% of production. In the northern areas, crop cultivation is mostly confined to the alluvial plains and slopes along the basins and in natural oases where groundwater is available.
Water resources management
Water resources in Somalia are dominated by surface water. The two perennial rivers in Somalia are the Juba and Shabelle rivers. The Juba-Shabelle basin, with a total area of 810,427 Sq.Km. cover about one-third of Ethiopia, one-third of Kenya, and one-third of Somalia. The mean annual runoff at the border between Ethiopia and Somalia is 5.9 Km3 for the Juba river at Luuq and 2.3 Km3 for the Shabelle river at Belet Weyne. Besides, 0.5 Km3/yr also enters Somalia from Kenya. The downstream discharge at the Shabelle river is decreasing rapidly, and water abstractions before the flow usually end in the wetlands beyond Sablaale. Although the Shabelle river is a tributary of the Juba, very little of the flow from the Shabelle reaches the Juba, and often the Shabelle ceases to flow in the lower reaches during the early part of the year. The Juba and Shabelle Rivers are shared by Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia. Most of the rivers’ runoff originates from Ethiopia. Before entering the Indian Ocean, the rivers pass through Kenya and Somalia. However, they do not have a formal international water-sharing agreement for these rivers.
Irrigation and drainage
In Somalia, irrigation barrages were developed in the middle and lower parts along Shabelle and Juba River Basins to irrigate land for commercial and food crops. The topography of Somalia is conducive to gravity irrigation through canals. The Ministry of Agriculture estimated that in 1987/88 cropping year, 112950 ha were under controlled irrigation, while 110000 ha was under flood recession irrigation, giving the total irrigated area to 222 950 hectares (Ministry of Agriculture, 1988). Agricultural water abstractions are limited to partially controlled irrigation schemes in the river basins. Of the abstractions for agriculture, livestock accounts for around 0.03 Km3/year. The surface water withdrawal amounts to about 96% and groundwater withdrawal to 4% of the total water withdrawal. In the dry season, when the water resources become scarce, groundwater supplies are severely stressed. Drip irrigation technology came to Somalia a few years ago. As of now, about 10,000 farms in Sabab, Sool, Awdal, Sahil, Waqoyi-Galbed, and Togdher regions of Somaliland are using drip irrigation.
Water policies
The Ministry of Energy and Water Resources (MoE&WR) of Somalia is in the process of preparing a National Water Policy to ensure the rational management of Somalia’s water resources. A long-term policy is being evolved for the optimum development, use, conservation, and protection of surface and groundwater.
ICID and National Committee
Somalia became a member of the ICID in 2017 and formed the Somalian National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage (SONCID). Mr. Abdullahi Hassan Hussein, Secretray General of SONCID informed that Somalia would be undertaking research and development activities in the development of Basin Futures (BF)—a web-based capacity development and planning tool (developed by CSIRO, Australai) that helps create various development scenarios in a river basin—particularly, in scarce data situations.
Events+
Awards+
Recognized World Heritage Irrigation Structures+
Workbody Representation+
# | Abbreviation | Workbody |
---|---|---|
1 | WG-AFM | WG on Adaptive Flood Management
Mr. Abdullahi Hassan Hussein (Member), |