planning strategies for development

first steps towards strategic urban planning

the guide has been prepared for the European Investment Bank to provide advice on fluvial flood risk management that addresses planning

The Juba and Shabelle river basins have been, and could again be, the breadbasket of Somalia. They have considerable potential for irrigation development, and several irrigation schemes have been developed on these two major river basins to provide sustainable food security and alleviate poverty in the country. However, due to 16 years of civil insecurity and unrest the majority of these schemes have collapsed. Based on the conclusions and recommendations of the and rdquoBanana Sector Study and rdquoprepared by the European Commission (EC, 2002), the European Commission has moved to restore some irrigation facilities, and rehabilitate and maintain former irrigated plantations and irrigation schemes.

The Juba and Shabelle river basins have been, and could again be, the breadbasket of Somalia. They have considerable potential for irrigation development, and several irrigation schemes have been developed on these two major river basins to provide sustainable food security and alleviate poverty in the country. However, due to 16 years of civil insecurity and unrest the majority of these schemes have collapsed.

Somalia covers an area of 637,657 km2 with the population in 2003 estimated at 7.5 million inhabitants. Somalia economy is predominantly agricultural (crops and livestock, the latter being a major mainstay). The economy depends highly on water availability, which in turn is reliant on rainfall. Rainfall in Somalia is not only low, below 100 mm per year in some areas, but has a high temporal and spatial variability (annexes 1 to 5). The annual average rainfall ranges from 215 mm in the North-eastern regions to approximate 550 mm in the South-Central regions (SWALIM, 2007). The water balance for the country depicts potential evapotranspiration greater than rainfall in the entire country. In addition, other hydro-physical conditions that negatively impact on the availability of freshwater include land degradation and siltation of water bodies. The situation has been compounded by 16 years of civil strife, especially in the southern regions. A number of local and international organizations have initiated civil reconstruction, environmental conservation and livelihood-support programmes. Experts estimate that Somalia is among the 13 African countries that will face water scarcity by 2025. A country is said to be water scarce when its annual per capita water availability falls below 1000 m3. Already, Somalia has less than 500 m3/per capita/year (UNECA, 2000). This is attributed to erratic spatial and temporal distribution of rainfall with average annual amounts falling between 100 and 800 mm, high evaporation, and human activities that exacerbate land degradation.

Somalia generally has an arid to semi-arid climate. Rainfall is the defining characteristic of the climate and has a great spatial and temporal variability. The climate of Somalia is determined by the north and south movement of the inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). In most areas of Somalia this results in two rainfall seasons - the Gu as the zone passes northwards and the Deyr as it moves south. In both cases, rain is produced from the moist air derived from the Indian Ocean, in the southerly air stream. The north-easterly winds, emanating from Asia and Arabia, produce little significant rain. It is generally considered that rainfall is the most important meteorological element affecting life in Somalia. In particular, variation from season to season, and variations within the season are what determine the successes of agricultural activities.

Although irrigated agriculture was the life-line of the Somali economy before the start of civil strife in 1990, much of the information on the pre-war irrigation systems is lost and little is known about their present status. This report documents the findings of an assessment carried out by SWALIM to determine the status of medium to large irrigation schemes in Southern Somalia and their irrigation infrastructure. Comprehensive literature review, key contact interviews and extensive remotely sensed data analyses were carried out to arrive at the assessment results. Baseline information on the water barrages, canal systems and the irrigation schemes was generated and a GIS irrigation infrastructure database was constructed. About 5,000 km of canals were identifi ed and compared with satellite images. The boundaries and the status of 34 medium to large irrigation schemes were identifi ed. The data is well structured and accessible through desktop GIS software or through the web based Geonetwork software. The results obtained, together with the recommendations, are expected to form the basis for the infrastructure rehabilitation efforts by the donor community.

Soomaaliya guud ahaan waxay leeday cimilo u dhexeysa oomane iyo mid bar-oomane ah. Roob-da’u waa sifo qeexeysa cimilada oo waxay leedahay kala duwanaasho weyn oo masaaxadeed iyo mid waqtiyeed. Cimilada Soomaaliya waxa ay ka abuuranta kulanka dabaylaha ka soo dhaca waqooyiga iyo koonfurta aagga dhulsooraha (inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)). Meelo badan oo gudaha Soomaaliya ah waxay tani ka dhalisaa laba xilli roobaad – Guga marka aaggu gobolku xagga waqooyi iyo deyrta marka uu u wareego koonfur. Labada xaaladoodba, roobku wuxuu ka dhashaa dabaysha qoyan ee ka timaadda Badweynta Hindiya, marka dabayshu u dhacayso xagga koonfureed. Dabaylaha waqooyi-bari, ka soo dhacaya Aasiya iyo Caaraabiya, waxay dhaliyaaan roob aan badnayn. Waxaa badanaa la aaminsan yahay in roob di’iddu tahay waxa ugu muhiimsan cimilada oo saamaynaya nolosha gudaha Soomaaliya. Si gaar ah, isbedel xilli ka xilli, iyo isbedello isla xilliga gudihiisa waxay yihiin waxa go’aamiya guulaha hawlaha beeraha.