# New Dam Reported for Wacays Odane Community in Salahley

> A 24 March 2018 Horn Diplomat report says a repaired dam and facilities at Wacays Odane, Salahley, Somaliland, now serve over 2,000 pastoralists.

- By: Editorial Team, Somali Construction Review (https://somaliconstructionreview.com/about)
- Published: 30 September 2026
- Format: News story (reported from one named public source)
- Publication: Somali Construction Review (https://somaliconstructionreview.com)
- Subject: Infrastructure and Services
- Tags: water-supply, drainage
- Web version: https://somaliconstructionreview.com/blog/wacays-odane-dam-report

## Key points

- On 24 March 2018, a report said a repaired dam was bringing safe, clean water to pastoral communities in Wacays Odane and Salahley district, Somaliland.
- The report describes UNDP completing the repair and adding facilities, with support from Somali diaspora, GEF and the Somaliland Government.
- The report does not establish what has happened at the dam since March 2018, nor does it provide project costs, audited beneficiary figures or measured water storage.

On 24 March 2018, Horn Diplomat reported that a repaired dam was bringing safe, clean water to the pastoral communities of Wacays Odane and Salahley district in Somaliland. The report, published two days after an event dated Hargeisa 22 March 2018, said the dam had been filled by the first spring rains and that over 2,000 people from the local community could now gather water for their livestock and families.

The work combined local initiative with international and government involvement. According to the report, the community of Wacays Odane began initial repair work with support from Damal Organization, a Somali diaspora-funded NGO. The dam was then completed by UNDP, which added facilities including a water tank for water access, a silt trap to filter out sand and waste, a fence, and a caretaker room and store. Support came from the Somali diaspora, UNDP and the Global Environment Facility, in partnership with the Somaliland Government.

The dam is an earth dam, and its full capacity was stated as expected to be 30,000 cubic metres. A photo caption published with the report describes it as a “30,000 cubic metre dam at Wacays Odane, Somaliland, is providing clean water to community across the area, march 2018”. No measured storage figure was given.

At the opening ceremony, the Director of the Department of Water at the Somaliland Ministry of Water Development, Mr. Saed Duale Mohamed, thanked diaspora communities and UNDP and GEF for making the dam possible. He said the project means remote communities will have access to water during drought seasons. UNDP Climate Change and Resilience Programme Officer Mr. Abdi Yusuf was quoted saying the dam is part of ongoing work to assist communities in building resilience to climatic shocks, and that the area is vulnerable to climatic shocks and severely affected by climate change.

The completion of Wacays Odane earth dam was described by the report as one of several ongoing water infrastructure projects under the UNDP Climate Change and Resilience Programme with GEF support. The report said the programme includes four more earth dams and over 70 other small reservoirs and wells in the region, though it did not state their locations, status or completion dates.

The 24 March 2018 report does not establish what has happened at the dam since that date. It provides no project value, contract value, total cost or budget figures. The 2,000 beneficiary figure was not attributed to a survey or operator record. The 30,000 cubic metre capacity was described only as expected. No handover, completion certificate or commissioning record was mentioned.

> **Note:** All claims are attributed to the Horn Diplomat report of 24 March 2018, the sole source for the information presented.

## Questions

### Where is the dam located?

According to Horn Diplomat (24 March 2018), the dam is at Wacays Odane, Salahley district, Somaliland.

### What is the expected capacity of the dam?

Horn Diplomat reported the dam is expected to hold 30,000 cubic metres of water at full capacity.

### Who funded the dam repair?

The report said support came from the Somali diaspora, UNDP and GEF, in partnership with the Somaliland Government, but no specific funding amounts or agreements were disclosed.

## Sources

- [New dam Provides Safe Water To Pastoral Communities in South Eastern Somaliland](https://www.horndiplomat.com/new-dam-provides-safe-water-to-pastoral-communities-in-south-eastern-somaliland/) — Horn Diplomat, 2018-03-24