# Burao water expansion: SDF record lists 14 km of pipes and two elevated tanks

> The Somaliland Development Fund's SDF1 portfolio account records 14 km of pipelines and two 100,000-litre elevated tanks for Burao's water distribution system.

- By: Editorial Team, Somali Construction Review (https://somaliconstructionreview.com/about)
- Published: 20 September 2026
- Format: Project story (reported from one named public source)
- Publication: Somali Construction Review (https://somaliconstructionreview.com)
- Subject: Infrastructure and Services
- Place: Burao, Somaliland
- Tags: somaliland, burao, water-infrastructure
- Web version: https://somaliconstructionreview.com/blog/buraos-water-expansion-pipelines-and-elevated-storage

## Key points

- The Somaliland Development Fund's SDF1 portfolio record lists 14 km of pipelines and two 100,000-litre elevated tanks under the Burao town water distribution expansion.
- The same portfolio entry covers Berbera, Las Anod, Hadaftimo, Gargooray and Borama water works, implemented by the Ministry of Water Resource Development.
- The record is a funding portfolio account, so it does not show commissioning, test results or the present condition of the Burao works.

The Somaliland Development Fund (SDF) lists 14 km of pipelines and two 100,000-litre elevated tanks for the expansion of the Burao town water distribution system, in its undated SDF1 portfolio account of projects implemented by the Ministry of Water Resource Development.

## What the source records

The SDF1 retrospective describes a 7.5m USD water project run by the Ministry of Water Resource Development, intended to improve supply for 67,800 people. It lists a functional review of the ministry, the Berbera town water master plan, rehabilitation of Dubar springs and connection to the town supply, expansion of the Burao town water distribution system through 14 km of pipelines and two 100,000-litre elevated tanks, Las Anod water source studies, Hadaftimo and Gargooray rural systems, and support to the Borama water supply expansion. Read it here: [Somaliland Development Fund](https://www.somalilanddevelopmentfund.org/projects/sdf1).

## What it means on site

For a builder or engineer quoting on distribution work, the record shows the components an expansion of this kind is made of: buried main and distribution pipe, and elevated storage delivering pressure by head. A 100,000-litre tank is a heavy structure, so support design, foundation bearing and corrosion protection at a coastal or inland site all deserve written specification and inspection. Ask the engineer whether tank capacity is stated as nominal or usable, and whether the pipe figure counts trench length or pipe supplied. Confirm every dimension against the project drawings rather than this portfolio entry.

## What the source does not establish

This is an implementer's portfolio account, written to summarise SDF1 spending. It records scope, not engineering acceptance. It does not give pipe diameters, materials, routes, tank elevations, commissioning dates, pressure or leakage test results, or any handover certificate. It is undated, so it cannot describe the present condition of Burao's water system, and it does not say who operates the tanks and pipelines today. Nothing here assigns responsibility for defects or delays. A signed completion certificate, as-built drawings and test records held by the implementing ministry would confirm what exists.

## What to do next

Request the as-built drawings and test certificates for the Burao pipelines and the two tanks from the Ministry of Water Resource Development, and ask which department now operates and maintains them. Confirm all figures against those records.

> **Note:** Capacity figures in the source are project scope as reported by SDF, not a measured output.

## Sources

- [SDF1 infrastructure portfolio](https://www.somalilanddevelopmentfund.org/projects/sdf1) — Somaliland Development Fund, Undated SDF1 retrospective (Implementer report; named road and water project sections.)