Hassan Istiila
Wednesday June 5, 2024
Jowhar (HOL) - A high-level delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister Salah Ahmed Jama and the Deputy Prime Minister, arrived in Jowhar on Wednesday to launch the Jowhar Offstream Storage Programme (JOSP) project to fight floods and droughts.
President of Hirshabelle State Ali Gudlawe Hussein, along with state officials and residents, warmly welcomed the delegation, which included federal Ministers of Agriculture and Energy and the Chairman of the National Disaster Management Agency.
Last year, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the British Embassy in Mogadishu signed the Restoring the Riverine Ecosystems for Climate Adaptations (RESTORE) project.
RESTORE is part of the Jowhar Offstream Storage Programme (JOSP), a $140 million initiative to rehabilitate a large irrigation scheme in two regions in Hirshabelle State, targeting 1.5 million people. The scheme's goal is to reduce flood risk and mitigate drought.
The UK-funded RESTORE project aims to promote a climate conflict natural and water resources management approach to reduce poverty, ensure household food security, reduce tensions over natural resources, and increase the resilience of communities at risk of climate change impacts.
In May, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Somali Disaster Management Agency (SODMA) activated an Anticipatory Action (AA) plan to mitigate the effects of anticipated El Niño-induced floods in Baardheere, Luuq, Jowhar, and Beledweyne after the Shabelle and Jubba Rivers began to flood in these districts.