The Juba and Shabelle rivers are the only perennial streams in Somalia. They originate in Ethiopia, where over 90 percent of the stream flow is generated. The two river basins cover an area 174,600 km2 within Somalia. Basic monitoring of the two rivers and their basins has been ongoing in the previous SWALIM projects, laying a good foundation for more developed, continuous river monitoring and data processing (automatic weather stations, continuous discharge measurements, sediment and water quality monitoring together with pilot land degradation monitoring systems). The Juba and Shabelle basins are also called the ‘breadbasket’ of Somalia: It is the centre of agricultural and livestock production and home to the majority of the Somali population.