MOGADISHU, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Somalia's regional Puntland state on Monday launched a partnership deal aimed at bringing piped water to thousands of people in the town of Bosasso.
Under a public private partnership, UNICEF, the Puntland Authority for Water, Energy and Natural Resources, and Golden Utilities Management Company (GUMCO) rehabilitated the town's water tank and laid more than 10,000 meters of pipeline to overhaul the deteriorating water system in Bosasso.
"This is a great step forward in ensuring as many people as possible have access to safe water, especially now with the crisis caused by the drought," UNICEF Somalia Representative Steven Lauwerier said in a statement.
According to UNICEF, much of the population in Bosasso, a major seaport and a fast-growing city in northeastern Bari region of Puntland, currently gets their water from hand-dug shallow wells.
The water is often contaminated and can lead to deadly waterborne diseases such as cholera. Those who can afford buy better-quality water from private sellers at high prices.
Only 40 percent of the population are connected to the city's pipeline, which was built nearly 20 years ago.
The newly-rehabilitated water system has the capacity to connect the entire population of Bosasso to safe water. By the end of 2017, some 9,000 residents will be connected under the first phase of the project.
