(Extract from the foreword)This report is the outcome of a multi-sectoral nationwide household survey, the first of its kind in Somalia for over two decades. The report provides statistics on demographic and housing characteristics, access to basic services, household income and employment, modes of communication and women's participation in family decision making and community-level activities, among other things. Individually, these statistics provide valuable information on different facets of socio-economic characteristics, and together they reflect to a certain extent, the well-being of an average Somali household.

As one of its objectives for intervention in the development of Puntland, 0GB wants to enhance peace and stability through increasing self-reliance in water supply among the various communities. The overall objective of the project is therefore to contribute to the process of social rehabilitation and strengthening the communityandrsquos ability to manage their own affairs in terms of ensuring sufficient availability of water and better sanitary conditions. The proposed project will enable communities in the selected project areas to have access to increased quantity of hygienically acceptable water. This project, as a water and sanitation intervention therefore, is planned to address the water and sanitation problems in the intervention areas by: • Extending the duration for which water will be available in the villages by increasing the water holding/maintaining (storing) capacity of existing berkads and by helping the community to construct new ones where appropriate.br • Increasing the awareness of the community about the need for consideration of sanitation issues and integrating sanitation activities in all water related activities, andbr • In close co-operation with other agencies (like Afnica-70) involved in sanitation activities, intensively engaging the (urban) communities in sanitation awareness activities and assisting the local authorities to take up the matter in a sustainable manner.

This is a report prepared by a consultant contracted by cefa to conduct site surveys and provide detailed site plans of the gauging cross section at Luuq and Bardheere bridges on the Juba River and Belet Weyne and Bulo Burti bridges on the Shabelle River. He was also required to install staff gauges at the four sites provide a brief training to ensure a common standard of record keeping and data transmission is in place for each site among other tasks