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In brief
- The Kalqoray dam was inaugurated on 4 September 2025, according to a Hargeisa Water Agency report dated 27 October 2025.
- The agency states it provided USD 4.3 million of the USD 5 million total, with the remainder donated by a local business leader who asked to stay anonymous.
- The same report records the dam's stated volume rising from 1.1 million to 1.8 million cubic metres, and lists spillway and sand-control works.
Contents
Hargeisa Water Agency reported on 27 October 2025 that the Kalqoray dam was inaugurated on 4 September 2025 in the presence of Somaliland's president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi (Irro), cabinet members, business leaders and the public. The ceremony was held in a garden next to the dam in Hargeisa.
What the source records
The agency states the dam was funded primarily by the agency itself, which provided USD 4.3 million of the USD 5 million total, with the remainder donated by a local business leader who requested anonymity. It records that the dam's volume rose from 1.1 million cubic metres to 1.4 million and then to 1.8 million cubic metres. General Manager Mohamed Ali Daarood said infrastructure was installed to release water when it becomes counterproductive and to keep sand out of the reservoir, adding that both had been failing points of earlier dam attempts. Read the full account in Hargeisa Water Agency.
What it means on site
Sediment control and a controlled release point are the two mechanisms a reservoir needs to keep working, so on any impoundment the inlet, silt trap and outlet should be checked against the drawings and seen working. Volume figures in an agency report describe storage at a stated time; they do not replace a bathymetric or topographic survey. For a fill dam, ask the engineer for the compaction and testing records and confirm the design spillway level against the project specification.
What the source does not establish
The report is the agency's own account of its own inauguration, and the cost split is given as the agency states it. It does not publish a contract, payment record or donor receipt, so the funding figures rest on that account. The capacity figures are given without survey or test data behind them. The report gives no present condition of the dam, its spillway or the reservoir level, and no later performance record. It does not state that the dam supplies Hargeisa today.
What to do next
Request the dam's as-built drawings, the reservoir survey and the operation and maintenance manual from Hargeisa Water Agency. Ask the agency's engineer which department holds the silt trap and outlet inspection schedule, and ask when the next inspection is due.
Frequently asked questions
When was the Kalqoray dam inaugurated?
Hargeisa Water Agency reported that the dam was inaugurated on 4 September 2025, in a ceremony held in a garden next to the dam and attended by Somaliland's president and cabinet members.
Who paid for the Kalqoray dam?
The agency states it provided USD 4.3 million of the USD 5 million total, with the remainder donated by a local business leader who requested anonymity.
How much water can the Kalqoray dam hold?
The report gives the dam's volume as rising from 1.1 million cubic metres to 1.4 million and finally to 1.8 million cubic metres; the agency does not publish survey data behind those figures.
Sources
Local reporting: this article is written for building work in Hargeisa and Somaliland. Ground conditions, prices and rules differ between places; confirm the details for your own site.