Tuesday May 23, 2017
The UAE Water Aid Foundation, Suqia, under the umbrella of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, has implemented two projects to provide drinking water to over 90,000 people in Somalia.
Suqia has implemented these projects in cooperation with the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Charity and Humanitarian Establishment.
This is one of Suqia’s humanitarian projects to support international efforts to combat poverty and disease by finding sustainable and innovative solutions to water scarcity around the world. The projects also support the ‘For You, Somalia’ campaign.
One project, in Ufayn in the eastern region of Somalia, included the building of a 300-cubic-metre water collection point near water springs at the foot of a mountain and 600 cubic metre water reservoirs.
The project also included repairing and replacing the three-kilometre pipeline network. Solar-powered pumps will be provided to pump water from the ground reservoir to an elevated water tank in the town.
The project will make it easier for residents to access potable water, reducing the distance they have to travel to obtain water. The project will benefit about 50,000 people in the town and neighbouring villages.
The second project involved drilling an artesian well in the village of Tookiyo in the Lower Shabelle province and the installation of pipes and an electric pump. This covers the basic water needs of the village whose residents rely on agriculture and livestock. The project included building a 20 cubic-metre water tank, 3 basins for animals, and shaded water taps to protect residents from the sun.
The well will provide over 40,000 people with clean water, alleviating residents’ difficulties in accessing clean water, and limiting diseases that could spread as a result of drinking contaminated water.
"Suqia’s projects in Somalia, especially as we approach the Holy Month of Ramadan, aim to alleviate the suffering of the people in Somalia. This supports the #Year of Giving initiative, which was launched by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the directives of Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to improve the living conditions of underprivileged communities and provide water to millions of needy people around the world," said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Suqia.
"The projects also support the 'For You, Somalia' campaign, which was launched by the Emirates Red Crescent to alleviate the suffering of millions of people," he explained.
Al Tayer noted that Suqia provides clean water to those in need around the world, in cooperation with several charitable organisations in the UAE. Suqia also works to find sustainable and innovative solutions to water scarcity around the world via studies, research, and projects using solar energy to provide clean water.
Mohammed Abdulkareem Al Shamsi, Acting Executive Director of the UAE Water Aid Foundation, said, "The UAE Water Aid Foundation is committed to combating poverty and disease, which is one of the objectives set by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives. This is achieved by finding sustainable solutions to the lack of potable water. By the end of 2016, Suqia’s projects benefitted over 8 million people in 19 countries around the world. This is part of our commitment to implement the directives of our wise leadership in humanitarian work."