The Impact of Water Scarcity on Rural Livelihoods in Belet Hawo County, Somalia

Abstract

Water is a vital component of human life and a critical driver for socioeconomic development and environmental integrity in each place. It is a life-sustaining resource that is also vital to rural and agricultural development and affects the livelihoods of millions of people in rural areas around the world. Water scarcity is a problem that has a detrimental impact on the economy, livelihood, and environmental sustainability. Due to the growing population and children leaving school to get water from far away because there is an increase in the water demand. Rural areas have been under strain as a result of increasing population pressure, changes in land use activities, and climate unpredictability, and as a result, availability, accessibility, and sufficient quality and quantity of water have been negatively impacted. The objective of this study was to see how water scarcity affected rural livelihoods in Balet Hawo County. The research was based on information from sources in form of a well-structured questionnaire from rural households and farmers, while secondary data was gathered from easily accessible web sources. A total of 127 rural residents from Balet Hawo county were sampled using stratified random sampling and structured questionnaires to determine their responses to the county's water scarcity. From the study findings, Water price, household water demand, and distance between dwellings and water sources are all key factors of domestic water demand, according to the research. The livestock population has been quickly increasing, putting a strain on existing water resources, the quality of which has deteriorated dramatically as an outcome of increased man-made such as agricultural and animal production. Based on the study the Scarcity of water has reached an alarming level in rural areas, owing to a lack of water reservoirs, declining groundwater recharge, and rising water demand from livestock and households as a result of resource over-exploitation. The study concluded, Population pressure, land use change, inadequate water management, and human activities led to the destruction of forests resulting in environmental degradation, decreased rainfall availability, displacement of rural people, and making life harder for people, according to the study.