Harqabobe turns floods into lifelines with community-led water works

After years of destructive flash floods followed by scouring sandstorms, the village of Harqabobe in Somalia’s Middle Shabelle region says it has learned to live with the rain, by working with it, not against it.

“With every storm we worried what might come from the valley,” said resident Huria. “Would the water rise while we slept?” That fear has eased after a package of low-tech, community-built measures backed by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Somali non-profit Shaqadoon.

At the heart of the effort are flood-regulation structures along the wadi, a dry riverbed that fills rapidly during heavy rain, that now divert peak flows toward farmland and away from homes. “These structures help reduce flooding along the wadi bank,” said Mahdi, who helped coordinate the works. “They guide water where it can do good.”

Residents were trained and carried out much of the work themselves. They planted a belt of drought-hardy trees between the village and the valley to act as a windbreak, reducing sandstorms that once stripped topsoil. “We planted trees that didn’t even need watering,” Mahdi noted.

To capture and store more rainfall, villagers dug half-moon basins, semi-circular trenches that slow runoff and recharge soil moisture, and installed bioswales at a fenced pilot site to trap sediment and curb erosion. The community also adopted basic water and land-management practices, from efficient water use to selecting drought-resistant vegetation to stabilize silty soils.

Crucially, the planning process included women, youth, and elders, a shift locals say reduced conflict over water and land. “We learned about leadership, tree planting, wind control, and water management,” said Mahdi. “Now we know how to use water efficiently and prevent erosion.”

Early results are visible: floodwaters now spread gently across fields, crops are improving, dust is down, and formerly abandoned homes are reoccupied. “Before, the wind carried away our soil, our homes, and our peace,” Huria said. “Now, we’ve returned… There is peace. There is stability.”

Residents frame the change as part of a broader rethink in aid, from repetitive emergency repairs to prevention and resilience. “In the past, we always feared the floods would drive us away again. Now, we feel hope instead,” said Mohamed. “Instead of asking, ‘Will the flood come?’ the now ask, ‘Where should we guide it?’”

The initiative was funded by the European Union and implemented by IOM in partnership with Shaqadoon.