Somalia Water Resources
Somalia is one of the water scarcity countries in the world and its water resources are limited to surface water mainly Juba and Shabelle river basins which are transboundary basins shared by Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya, and groundwater resources which is limited and unknown resources for its yield, capacity, and potentiality with various depth in aquifers. In Somalia, Water is an important natural resource and it is the backbone of economic growth and prosperity of the nation. It is at the center of economic and social development and vital to maintain health, grow food, manage the environment, and create jobs.
Surface Water Resources Somalia can be divided into the following major river basins and catchments while Juba and Shabelle river basins are the only perennial rivers in Somalia.
- Gulf of Aden
- Daroor basin
- Tug Der/ Nugal basin
- Central basin
- Shabelle basinJuba basin
- Lag Dera basin
- Lag Badana basin
- Indian Ocean basin
- Juba and Shabelle Basin
Human activity—from pollutants to climate change—is intimidating the health of our precious freshwater resources. That's where we come in. Freshwater flows across borders, our work bounces across the nation and sectors.
SONRREC’s ambition is to influence how we manage freshwater like no other think tank in Africa because we create a scientific understanding of freshwater at our very own freshwater science team, which then informs the policy recommendations developed by our team of policy analysts.
In other words, we truly connect science and policy. Water is a critical resource undergoing increasing impacts and demands. Recognizing the value of freshwater, nature, and the true costs of societal impacts, and then developing tools to protect and manage water resources is increasingly critical. SONRREC water scientists are leaders in using a "systems approach" for developing science-based tools and technologies to characterize, protect, maintain, and restore water and habitat quality of aquatic systems. These activities contribute to better watershed planning to achieve the best possible use of our natural resources to balance their ecological, societal, and economic value.
GOAL: Develop science-based tools, information, and data to assess and protect our water resources, and restore them if degraded.
For more information on this initiative, please navigate to a specific research area.