During the week ending on 27th October, 2014, moderate to heavy rains were experienced in both Juba and Shabelle river basins inside Somalia and within the Ethiopian highlands leading to floods in some parts. The worst flood affected areas along the Shabelle River are Belet Weyne in Hiraan region; and in Middle Shabelle region where there has been several river breakages. Along the Juba River, floods have been reported in Dollow (Gedo region), Jilib and Jamame in Lower Juba. Other reports also indicate localized flooding in Huduur in Bakool region following heavy rains in the area.

We are pleased to share Issue 6 of our quarterly newsletter “SWALIM Update” for the period May 2014 - July 2014. The newsletter provides updates on SWALIM water and land information management activities such as: SWALIM Completes Survey of Irrigated Agricultural Areas in Puntland; SWALIM Capacity Building Efforts lead to a Presidential Award in Somaliland; SWALIM Establishes Land Degradation Monitoring Systems in Somaliland; The Water and Land Intervention Information Sharing Platform (WALISP); A Feature Article: Groundwater Monitoring in Somalia among others. We hope you will enjoy this edition. You feedback will be highly appreciated.

During the 15th Dekad (21st – 31st May 2014), there was a reduction of rainfall activities in most parts of the country except for the north eastern parts that recorded moderate to heavy rains. In summary, the month of May recorded below normal rainfall across the country. A few stations however recorded above normal rains but with poor temporal and spatial distribution. Below is a brief summary of the rainfall situation by region for this dekad.

During the 1st Dekad of June (1st – 10th June 2014), there was a significant reduction of rainfall activities in most parts of the country except for the northern parts and a few places in the south that recorded light to moderate rains. This is however normal at this time of the year as the Gu season comes to an end. Below is a brief summary of the rainfall situation by region for this dekad.

During the 2nd Dekad of June (11th – 20th June 2014), there was a significant reduction of rainfall activities in most parts of the country marking a possible cessation of the season. However, parts of north west recorded light to moderate rains. Below is a brief summary of the rainfall situation by region for this dekad.

During the week ending on 2nd June 2014, there was a significant reduction of rainfall activities in both Juba and Shabelle ba-sins inside Somalia. Only Bulo Burit in Hraan region recorded light rains of 14 mm during that period while others did not re-cord any rains.

The rainfall within the Juba and Shabelle basins over the last week varied greatly both in space and quantity inside Somalia. A few places recorded moderate rains while others received little or no rains.

There was an increase of rainfall activities in most parts of the Juba and Shabelle river basins inside Somalia. A few places recorded heavy rains on 8th and 9th May 2014 causing localized flooding in the areas. The upper parts of Gedo however did not record any rains.

There was a slight decrease of rainfall activities in most parts of the Juba and Shabelle river basins inside Somalia. A few places recorded moderate rains while others did not receive any rains during the last one week.

During the 12th Dekad (21st – 30th April 2014), moderate to heavy rains were recorded in the southern parts of the country especially in bay and Bakool regions. Light rains were received in the north western parts of the country. The north eastern and central parts did not receive any significant rainfall during the period. In general the rainfall performance of April rains in the country was below normal with the North East and central parts experiencing extremely depressed rains. Below is a brief summary of the rainfall situation by region for this dekad.