FAO, UK launch $ 3.8 m action program to mitigate El Niño impact on Somalia

21 / 08 / 2023

By Marwa Nassar - -

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the British Embassy Mogadishu (BEM) have launched a 3.8-million-dollar Anticipatory Action and Preparedness program in Somalia to mitigate El Niño impact on the African state.

El Niño is a climate pattern expected to bring about increased rainfall, with riverine areas of Somalia particularly at risk of severe flooding. There is now a greater than 90 % chance that El Niño will continue through the end of the year, and FAO estimates 1.2 million people are in areas at high risk of flooding. FAO’s Somalia Water and Land Information Management (SWALIM) Unit anticipates a major flood event of a magnitude statistically likely only once in 100 years, and follows another historic flood earlier this year that displaced around 245,000 people along the Shabelle river. An El Niño related flooding event in riverine areas of this scale could lead to loss of life, mass displacement, destruction of property and loss of livelihoods, resulting in an increase in acute food insecurity.

The project “Badbaado”, which means “to salvage from calamity”, is part of FAO’s multi-donor El Niño program, which seeks to mitigate, prepare for and respond to the threat of severe flooding and humanitarian disaster during the country’s second major rainy season between October and December this year.

Damon Bristow, Development Director for the British Embassy Mogadishu, said “Somalia is facing yet another crisis – an El Niño has been declared and may develop into a once in a century flooding event this year. We are acting now to prioritise resources. This cost-effective and sustainable joint initiative with FAO will mean we are able to save lives and prevent damage to livestock, crops and properties which could prove extremely damaging to the livelihoods of Somalia’s most vulnerable communities.”

Etienne Peterschmitt, FAO Representative to Somalia, said “We have a very short window of only a few months to prepare for and mitigate the worst impacts of El Niño, and we are grateful to the UK for rapidly mobilizing support for this important work. By taking early and well-informed action, together, we can help to protect vulnerable rural communities from the worst outcomes of disaster.”

Under the leadership of the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (MoAI) and in partnership with the Somalia Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA), FAO plans to close 937 meters of breakage points along the Shabelle river in Beletweyne town to slow down flood waters, reduce the immediate impact of flooding and allow people time to move away from high-risk areas. The project also plans to rehabilitate a major canal to redirect flood waters away from populated areas in Beletweyne, as well as prepositioning 800,000 sandbags in flood prone areas.

Early warning systems will be activated in partnership with government and local responders along the Shabelle and Juba rivers, with messages transmitted to communities through local radio networks, SMS services, and official channels to inform early action and save lives. FAO will also coordinate with local authorities and community groups to support evacuation planning.