While technological solutions (techno-fixes) in response to climate change are often criticized as reactionary and ineffective, the actions taken as part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) are proving to be both effective and in many cases life saving measures in drought-ridden Somalia.
The hardest hit regions of Somalia have received almost no rain for the past three years which has pushed already marginalized people hundreds of kilometers to neighboring areas, in search of water for human and livestock consumption. In response, the United Nations Development Programme has worked with the Global Environment Facility to build climate resilience infrastructure to ease the effects of the drought in this region. Water harvesting systems such as dams, temporary water storage tanks and community water storage ponds have been installed throughout Somalia as part of the SDG 6 targets to achieve universal and affordable access to drinking water, increase water-use efficiency and sustainability of freshwater resources, and to strengthen local community participation in resource management.
The water harvesting schemes are designed to provide broad public access in areas that either have no water or where water sources have become undrinkable due to water-bourne diseases. Several metrics are used to assess the efficacy of the SDG-6 goals which monitor proportions of the population who have access to clean, safe water. Initial data shows local benefit from these measures, however; long-term planning will be needed to ensure the resilience of these structures and of the overall water supply system for the remainder of this drought and for future weather events which are predicted to worsen as the effects of climate change continue to occur.
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg6
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2017/02/tackle-repetitive-droughts-horn-africa-170214090108648.html
https://www.thegef.org/project/support-integrated-water-resources-management-ensure-water-access-and-disaster-reduction
