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The Somali region of Ethiopia is an arid area which suffers from water shortages every year. However, the degree of severity can differ quite markedly from year to year, and the existence of micro-climates within the region means that needs are never uniform. In 2011, the region experienced two consecutive rain failures, resulting in one of the driest years since 1950/51. Harshin has been identified by FEWSNET as a hot-spot for drought-related activities in 2012 as well. In 2011, Oxfam took on a significant water trucking operation in Harshin woreda to deliver water to some of the most vulnerable and isolated communities. The program was logistically cumbersome and costly, the water did not always reach the targeted beneficiaries, and the price paid for water was higher than the market average.
The rationale for organizing this EMMA was as follows: a) To improve the design of drought responses in the Somali region by defining the most appropriate modality for water provision; b) To build the capacity of WASH practitioners in using the EMMA tool; and c) To identify potential alternatives to water trucking in arid and semi-arid lands. This EMMA study included compared the water market system in Harshin during a normal year (2009), a bad drought year (2011), and the current year (2012). Key analytical questions focused on availability of and access to water in these different years, the capacity of the commercial water trucking market to provide adequate water supplies during critical times and the different available means of water provision. This was the first opportunity for a WASH team to carry out an EMMA on a critical market such as commercial water trucking.
Harshin woreda has no groundwater sources of its own, and relies on surface water retained in ponds, Haffir dams, and birkads (private and communal). During a "normal" year, communities initially access water from the communal birkads or ponds, and thereafter from the numerous private birkads. Water is free, until the private birkad owner feels that the water should be rationed and paid for. The price of water increases during the dry period, possibly doubling towards the end. The private water transportation market plays a major role in Harshin, and overall, there are sufficient trucks available, both in quantity and volume per truck, even as demand rises.
Even during the worst period of the 2011 drought, there was sufficient ground water in woredas adjacent to Harshin to cover Harshin's water needs. Prices of formerly free water from birkads reached up to 10 times higher during the drought than during normal times. In response to increased demand for water trucking during the drought, the number of trucks was expanded in two ways: additional vehicles were brought in from neighboring regions, and local trucks began carrying water instead of the goods they normally carried. However, with inadequate linkages between the truck owners and the Harshin population, as well as the owners' positions of relative market power, the trucks actually represented a bottleneck in the system. The truckers can choose between types of transportation and preferred destinations, whereas the more isolated and poor communities had limited negotiation power. Government and humanitarian organizations have been providing water trucking to those relatively vulnerable places, but the local communities also raised concerns over the inequitable way in which this water was distributed.
The report recommends running a pilot project through community level trading entities, which should also involve the contracting of water transporters to organize the delivery of water at an agreed price to identified beneficiaries who will present them with vouchers and a rigorous MEAL process to evaluate the risks, efficiency and cost of the water delivery system; implementing public health promotion interventions appropriate for extreme water scarcity; providing support for the operation and maintenance of boreholes; and continuing advocacy efforts for the lifting of border restrictions to enable water to be transported from Somaliland.