In brief
- On 2018-11-16, Somaliland Chronicle published an exclusive interview with Wassim Haroun of CONSER about the Xumboweyne dam and the firm's work.
- The report attributes to Haroun that CONSER constructed the dam, concluded its defect and liability period, and was working on the design portion of the Berbera to Tog Wajaleh road rehabilitation.
- The interview does not establish what has happened to the dam or the Berbera Corridor project since that date.
On 16 November 2018, Somaliland Chronicle published the first part of an exclusive interview with Wassim Haroun of CONSER, an engineering firm that, according to the publication, constructed the Xumboweyne dam and was at that time working on the Berbera Corridor project.
The report attributes a series of claims to Haroun about CONSER and its involvement in Somaliland. He said the firm concluded the defect and liability period on the Xumboweyne dam, described as the largest concrete structure in Somaliland. He also stated that CONSER was in the process of the design portion of the rehabilitation of the Berbera to Tog Wajaleh road.
The interview includes broader claims about CONSER's history and portfolio. According to Haroun, the firm was started in 1969 in the UAE and officially re-registered in 1972. He said it had operated as consultants in the Arabian Gulf region for almost 50 years, designing and supervising projects spanning infrastructure, buildings, bridges, roads, dams, canals and transportation. In the UAE, CONSER had finalized the design and was supervising the E99 road in Fujairah, and in Oman it was in the closing stages of supervising road and highway projects it had designed. Haroun also stated that over 49 years CONSER had designed and supervised over 40,000 km of highways, well over 100 bridges, and over 148 dams.
Somaliland Chronicle said the interview would discuss the dam's current state. The published part one does not give a completion date, handover certificate, contract value, client or funding source for the Xumboweyne dam. It does not state the condition or performance of the dam since construction, nor does it provide any update on the Berbera Corridor project after the design phase described in the interview. No information is available from the report about what has happened to these projects since 16 November 2018.
Frequently asked questions
What did CONSER claim about the Xumboweyne dam in 2018?
According to Wassim Haroun, CONSER concluded the defect and liability period on the dam and described it as the largest concrete structure in Somaliland.
What was CONSER's stated role on the Berbera Corridor as of 2018?
Haroun said CONSER was in the process of the design portion of the rehabilitation of the Berbera to Tog Wajaleh road.
Does the 2018 interview give the dam's current status?
No. The available part one does not provide completion dates, handover certificates, condition assessments, or any updates after 16 November 2018.