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In brief
- UNDP reported that two solar-powered boreholes, at Awrboogays in Sanaag and Bacadweyn in Galkayo district, were handed over to communities in late December 2025.
- The handover sits inside a USD 2 million Saudi Fund for Development initiative that UNDP says aims to reach 120,000 people across four drought-hit districts.
- UNDP states that nine further boreholes are under construction, so the two sites are the completed portion, not the whole programme.
Contents
UNDP reported on 5 January 2026 that two solar-powered boreholes, one at Awrboogays in Sanaag and one at Bacadweyn in Galkayo district, were handed over to local communities in late December 2025. The work forms part of a USD 2 million initiative supported by the Saudi Fund for Development.
What the source records
UNDP writes that at least 23,000 people now have access to safe drinking water through the two completed boreholes. It describes each as a 200 metre deep borehole with a 22 kW solar system, a 40 cubic metre elevated tank, a water kiosk and piping, plus two animal troughs, one for camels and one for goats and sheep. Nine further boreholes were under construction when the story was published.
What it means on site
The package matters as much as the drilling: solar pumping removes the daily fuel bill that decides whether a borehole keeps running, a 40 cubic metre elevated tank sets the buffer between pumping hours and peak demand, and separate troughs keep livestock away from the drinking point. For anyone specifying a similar scheme, ask the implementing office for the pump curve, the tank level control arrangement and the depth setting of the pump intake. Whether the solar array can lift the design yield through a hot afternoon is worth checking against the pump supplier's figures.
What the source does not establish
This is UNDP's own account of an implementer-run programme, and its date is the as-of date. The 23,000 and 120,000 beneficiary numbers are project estimates, not measured results. The story names only the two handed-over sites, so it says nothing about which other villages are in the programme. The record does not give test yields in cubic metres per hour, water quality results, tariffs, an operations budget or a maintenance contract. Drilling logs, a pumping test report and the handover minutes with the Water Resources User Association would confirm the present state of each site.
What to do next
Ask the Federal Ministry of Energy and Water Resources, or the UNDP Somalia water team, for the handover minutes and pump test sheets for Awrboogays and Bacadweyn, and for the list of the remaining sites. If your own scheme is at design stage, commission a pumping test before ordering panels.
Frequently asked questions
How deep are the two completed boreholes and what equipment came with them?
UNDP describes each as a 200 metre deep borehole with a 22 kW solar system, a 40 cubic metre elevated tank, a water kiosk, piping and two animal troughs. Test yields and water quality results are not given in the source.
How many more boreholes are planned?
UNDP states that nine additional boreholes were under construction at the time of its 5 January 2026 story, within an initiative it says aims to reach 120,000 people across four drought-hit districts.
Sources
Local reporting: this article is written for building work in Galkayo and Puntland. Ground conditions, prices and rules differ between places; confirm the details for your own site.