Author : unicef
Year : 1994
Responding to the acute water shortage in Harar and the request for assistance from the Harari
Regional President, UNICEF reprogrammed water and sanitation financial assistance to the Harari
Regional Water Bureau for the emergency. Five water tankers began intense operations on 23
February, transporting water to the town dwellers from distant available sources. This emergency operation is scheduled to continue for four months, which is the anticipated period
of critical need. UNICEF will also supply five de-watering pumps and 33 emergency water
storage tanks for use in schools and the town sub-district offices. A more long-term, sustainable water source, already identified in a neighbouring region 76 kilometres from Harar, has been identified.
\\\”When the town water supply cut off, it brought on numerous problems, particularly for schools
and hospitals,\\\” said Teweleda Abdosh Ahmed, General Manager of the Harar Water Supply and
Sewerage Service Authority. \\\”We were frantic for the first few days. You would see students
walking with their satchels in one hand and a jerry-can in the other. Civil servants would check
into their office in the morning and leave immediately in search of water. We were especially
worried about sanitation problems around the hospitals. If we had not received emergency
assistance in time it would have resulted in chaos and possibly even the evacuation of the town.