Dubai - The UAE Water Aid Foundation, Suqia, under the umbrella of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, has implemented two projects to provide drinking water to over 90,000 people in Somalia. Suqia has implemented these projects in cooperation with the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Charity and Humanitarian Establishment. This is one of Suqia's humanitarian projects to support international efforts to combat poverty and disease by finding sustainable and innovative solutions to water scarcity around the world. The projects also support the ‘For You, Somalia' campaign. One project, in Ufayn in the eastern region of Somalia, included the building of a 300-cubic-meter water collection point near water springs at the foot of a mountain and 600 cubic meter water reservoirs. The project also included repairing and replacing the three-kilometer pipeline network. Solar-powered pumps will be provided to pump water from the ground reservoir to an elevated water tank in the town. The project will make it easier for residents to access potable water, reducing the distance they have to travel to obtain water. The project will benefit about 50,000 people in the town and neighboring villages. The second project involved drilling an artesian well in the village of Tookiyo in the Lower Shabelle province and the installation of pipes and an electric pump. This covers the basic water needs of the village whose residents rely on agriculture and livestock. The project included building a 20 cubic-meter water tank, three basins for animals, and shaded water taps to protect residents from the sun. The well will provide over 40,000 people with clean water, alleviating residents' difficulties in accessing clean water, and limiting diseases that could spread as a result of drinking contaminated water.
