Beyond Waheen: other congested Hargeisa markets enter the plan

United Nations in Somalia reported on 18 April 2022 that recovery planning after the Waheen market fire would look beyond the destroyed site to other congested markets in Hargeisa. The UN Resident Coordinator for Somalia, Adam Abdelmoula, said the rebuilding could be used to examine how those markets might be decongested and made safer.

What the source records

In the short to longer term section of its report, United Nations in Somalia records that Mr Abdelmoula described the rebuilding as an opportunity to rethink not only building back better but also to look at other markets in Hargeisa, which he said he understood were equally congested, and how to decongest them. See United Nations in Somalia. The same report states that the UN offered technical assistance in designing and rebuilding a new market described as fire-resistant, compliant with safety standards, environmentally friendly, accessible to people with disabilities and with facilities especially for women.

What it means on site

Congestion and fire safety are the same problem seen twice. Narrow lanes and dense stall rows can slow response, spread heat and make water supply hard to reach. A designer can treat the other markets as a layout and services question: lane width, hydrant or water-tank access, exit routes and open breaks between blocks. General practice treats these as design decisions to confirm against the project specification and engineer. The source gives no survey data for those markets, so ask the municipal engineer's office for the plot and lane records before relying on any assumption.

What the source does not establish

The report is a set of proposals and offers of assistance. It does not show that any other market was decongested, redesigned or rebuilt, nor that the replacement market met the fire-safety, access or women's-facility requirements. The as-of date is 18 April 2022. Records that would confirm the present state include the municipality's approved market layout drawings, the fire response committee's final assessment report and any handover or completion certificate. The source does not state a cause of the fire or who is responsible for it.

What to do next

Request the market layout drawings and the fire response committee's assessment report from the Hargeisa municipal offices, and ask which department holds them. If a market upgrade is planned, ask the designer for the exit, lane and water-access sheet.