Appendices

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Inventory of Drainage Basins of Northern

Somalia

Technical Report No. W-18

December 2009

Somalia Water and Land Information Management

Ngecha Road, Lake View. P.O Box 30470-00100, Nairobi, Kenya.
Tel +254 020 4000300 - Fax +254 020 4000333,
Email: swalim@fao.org Website: http//www.faoswalim.org.

Funded by the European Union and implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
 Disclaimer 
The designations employed a nd the presentation of material i n th is i nformation product do
not imply the expression of any opinion w hatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations and the SWALIM Project concerning the legal status of
any country , territory , ci ty or area o f i ts au thorities, o r co ncerning the d elimitation of its
frontiers or boundaries.

The document should be cited as follows:

Muchiri, P. W. (2009) , Inventory of Northern S omalia Drainage Basins. Technical Report

No W-18, FAO-SWALIM, Nairobi, Kenya
 

i 
 
Acknowledgements  
The author w ould lik e to sin cerely thank Dr. Zolt an Balint, SWALIM Chi ef Te chnical
Advisor and Hussei n G adain, SWALIM Water Coordinator for their enormous support and
guidance during the p reparation of this report. A special mention is made of Gabriel Oduori,
SWALIM GIS expert for compiling all the maps in this document.

Thanks are due to Dr. Jeremiah Gitonga and Muse Shaie both of SWALIM and Dr. Christian
Omuto (University of Nairobi) f or their contributions as techn ical reviewers of this
document. The author also wishes to thank Emily Mutai, SWA LIM Communication Officer
for her efforts in language editing.

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Table of Contents 
Disclaimer....................................................................................................................................i 
Acknowledgement ..................................................................................................................... ii 
Table of Contents...................................................................................................................... iii 
List of figures.............................................................................................................................. v 
List of abbreviations.................................................................................................................. vi 
1.0 INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1  
1.1 Data Availability..............................................................................................................3  
2.0 GULF OF ADEN DRAINAGE BASIN ..............................................................................5  
2.1 General Description of the Gulf of Aden Drainage Basin...............................................5 
2.2 Climate of the Gulf of Aden Drainage Basin...................................................................7  
2.3 Surface Water Resources of the Gulf of Aden Drainage Basin.....................................11 
2.4 Land Resources of the Gulf of Aden Drainage Basin....................................................14 
3.0 DARROR DRAINAGE BASIN ........................................................................................18  
3.1 General Description of Darror Drainage Basin .............................................................18 
3.4 Land Resources of Darror Drainage Basin ....................................................................26  
4.0: TUG DER/NUGAAL DRAINAGE BASIN ....................................................................30  
4.1 General Description of Tug Der/Nugaal Drainage Basin ..............................................30 
4.2 Climate of Tug Der/Nugal Drainage Basin ...................................................................32  
4.3 Surface Water Resources of Tug Der/Nugaal Drainage Basin......................................35 
4.4 Land Resources of Tug Der/Nugal Drainage Basin ......................................................37 
5.0: OGADEN DRAINAGE BASIN.......................................................................................42  
5.1 General Description of Ogaden Drainage Basin............................................................42 
5.2 Climate of Ogaden Drainage Basin ...............................................................................44  
5.3 Surface Water Resources of Ogaden Drainage Basin....................................................48 
5.4 Land Resources of Ogaden Drainage Basin ..................................................................50  
References ...............................................................................................................................55 

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iv 
 
List of figures 
Figure 1: Map of drainage basins in northern Somalia..............................................................2 
Figure 2: General description maps of Gulf of Aden drainage basin .......................................6 
Figure 3: Mean annual weather pattern maps  for Gulf of Aden ..............................................8 
Figure 4: Monthly rainfall and PET for selected stations in Gulf of Aden Basin........................9 
Figure 5: Climate maps for Gulf of Aden Basin........................................................................10  
Figure 6: Point water sources representation in Gulf of Aden Basin ......................................12 
Figure 7: Water resources maps for Gulf of Aden Basin .........................................................13 
Figure 8: Soil type percentages in the Gulf of Aden Basin.......................................................14 
Figure 9: Geology and soil maps of the Gulf of Aden Basin.....................................................16 
Figure 10:  Land resources map for the Gulf of Aden Basin ....................................................17 
Figure 11: General description maps of Darror drainage basin ..............................................19 
Figure 12: Mean annual weather pattern maps for Darror Basin ...........................................21 
Figure 13: Climate maps for Darror Basin................................................................................22  
Figure 14: Mean monthly weather observations at Iscushban ...............................................23 
Figure 15:  Water resources maps of Darror Basin..................................................................25  
Figure 16:  Land Resources Maps for the Darror Basin ...........................................................27 
Figure 17: Geology and Soils Maps for the Darror Basin.........................................................28 
Figure 18: Representation of land cover classes in the Darror Basin......................................29 
Figure 19:  Representation of land use systems in the Darror Basin ......................................29 
Figure 20: General description maps of Nugaal drainage basin..............................................31 
Figure 21:  Mean annual weather pattern maps for Nugaal basin..........................................33 
Figure 22: Climate maps for Nugaal drainage basin................................................................34 
Figure 23: Representation of point water sources distribution in Nugaal drainage basin .....35 
Figure 24: Water resources maps of Nugaal drainage basin...................................................36 
Figure 25: Geology and soil map for Nugaal drainage basin ...................................................38 
Figure 26: Land resources map for Nugaal drainage basin ....................................................39 
Figure 27: Legend for Agro‐Ecological Zones (AEZ) in Nugaal basin .......................................40 
Figure 28: Legend for land use systems in Nugaal basin .........................................................41 
Figure 29: General description of Ogaden drainage Basin ......................................................43 
Figure 30: Mean annual weather pattern maps for Ogaden Basin .........................................46 
Figure 31: Climate maps of Ogaden basin ...............................................................................47  
Figure 32: Water Resources maps for Ogaden basin ..............................................................49 
Figure 33: Geological and soil map for Ogaden basin .............................................................52 
Figure 34: Land resources maps in Ogaden basin ...................................................................53  
Figure 35: Legend for land use systems in Ogaden basin........................................................54 
 

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List of abbreviations 
AEZ Agro-Ecological Zones
DEM Digital Elevation Model
EC Electrical Conductivity
EU European Union
FAO Food and Agriculture Organisation
ITCZ Inter tropical Convergence Zone
m.a.s.l. meters above sea level
MDGs Millennium Development Goals
PET Potential Evapotranspiration
RC Runoff coefficient
RFE Rainfall Estimates
RH Relative Humidity
SWALIM Somalia Water and Land Information Management
UNDP United Nations Development Programme
USGS United States Geological Survey
WMO World Meteorological Organization

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1.0 INTRODUCTION
Addressing i ssues of n atural resources requires a ho listic a pproach that recognizes the
interdependence between c ompeting demands and lim ited resources. Integrated watershed
management is recognized a s t he best instru ment for d ealing with w ater and nat ural
resources. This would also contribute t o th e erad ication of extreme poverty and hunger
(MDG 1) through improved fo od sec urity (main focus of FAO) and su stainable
environmental management (MDG 7).
To enable start a process of integrated water resources management in Northern Somalia, the
Somalia Water and Land Information Management (SWALIM) project has been mandated by
the European Union (EU) to develop an inventory of the drainage basins of the area. A great
percentage of the Somalia population relies directly on the natural resource base to meet their
daily needs.
This do cument, “Inv entory of Northern Somalia Drainage Bas ins” is a first attem pt to
develop a working document for planners in many fields in northern Somalia. This document
is therefore likely to be updated and refined as information continues to flow in from actors in
all the involved sectors. As a working docu ment, there is s cope for im proving the accuracy
and w e must inv est in furthe r research and field acti ons. T he i nventory p rovides b aseline
information on climate, water resources and land r esources. This information is u seful for
policy development, p rioritization o f initiatives on watershed management, coordin ation of
actions and further assessments.
The major d rainage b asins in N orthern reg ions of So malia are: the Gulf of Aden Basin,
Darror Basin, Tug Der/Nugal Basin and Ogad en Basin (Figure 1). I n addition to these, the
narrow strip of land alo ng the Indian Ocean ha s short drainag e networ ks and th ere is no t
much flow in th ese dr ainage channels th at re aches th e Ind ian Ocean. T his narrow strip h as
been discussed in this report.
Unlike the Juba and Shab elle riv er basins in southern Somalia whi ch ori ginate in the
Ethiopian and Kenyan highlands, the northern Somalia basins have little surface r unoff and
rainfall in the basins are mostly lost through infiltration and evaporation. There are, however,
some sh ort streams ( toggas) esp ecially i n th e mountainous re gions in th e north that flo w
throughout the y ear in so me str etches. Th ere is a complex surface water-groundwa ter
interaction along t he toggas, whereby in some stretches there is surface runoff and in other s
there are mostly sub-surface interflows and rech arging of groundw ater aquif ers. N atural
springs are also common in t he mountainous regions of the north where th e rocky outcrops
intersect th e groundw ater tables. Sub-surface flow s alon g th e toggas and grou ndwater
available in springs ( mountainous areas) and in shallow and deep aquifers are an i mportant
source of wate r for people and livestock in these drai nage basins. Cat chment rainwater
harvesting through dams(wars) and berkads is also prevalent.

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Figure 1: Map of drainage basins in northern Somalia

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1.1 Data Availability
General Description Data:
The general description da ta used in this repor t consists of set tlement data, and p hysical
environment o f e ach d rainage ba sin. The settlement data wa s derived from United Na tions
development Programme (UNDP) datasets. While the physical environment data was derived
from th e Unit ed States Geologi cal Surve y (U SGS) global 90 m Dig ital Elev ation Mod el
(DEM).

Climate data:
The d ensity of cl imate monitoring net work in So malia has n ever b een good enough to
support a meaningful analysis of weather in th e country . However, many researchers hav e
attempted to do so, usi ng different datasets to indicate aver age conditions of the climate of
Somalia. Most ava ilable datasets are ch aracterised by large gaps of missing dat a. Th e
outbreak of civil w ar in the early ni neties made the s ituation worse. A ttempts to carry out
analyses have become difficult since then, due to the loss of important datasets as well as the
collapse of m onitoring n etworks. SWALIM a nd other p artner N GOs have b een trying to
revive the clim ate monitoring n etwork. No si gnificant weat her observation was carried out
between 1990 and 2004. The Somalia climate archive held within SWALIM contains data as
far back as 1894 (for Kismayo) and 1904 (for Mogadishu).
In this analysis, the most recent consistent av ailable data has been used, most of which have
been extr acted from th e FAO global cli mate d atabase for the period between 1963 - 1 990.
However, the database has missing information for some periods from some stations. In such
cases missing data was interpolated to improve the analysis.

Water Resources
The USGS 90m D EM was used to gene rate t he drain age network for all th e watersheds.
Hydrometric information on th e ca tchment is li mited and s ome b asins like the O gaden and
Darror have never been investigated. The l ast intervention was carried out by SOGREAH in
1981 in som e selected sub catch ments. Water source s data was obtain ed from S WALIM’s
water sources inv entory. The inv entory holds a lot of i nformation on thousands o f w ater
sources which were collected during the 2008/2009 point water sources survey. Ground water
information wa s d erived from hi storical da ta or records t hat exist wi thin the SWA LIM
database. This da ta is to be used w ith caution b ecause no further inve stigations h ave tak en
place since the break of civil war in Somalia.

Agro Ecological Zones (AEZ)

Agro-ecological zon es (AEZ) are land resource mapping un its, def ined in ter ms of c limate,
landform an d so ils, and/or l and cover, ha ving a speci fic ra nge of potentials a nd con straints
(FAO, 1996). The purpose of Agro-ecological zoning is to give an inventory and overview of
the physical agricultural potential of an area. SWALIM delineated agro-ecological zones for
Somalia by mapping and defin ing th rough a combination o f infor mation on soi ls, landform
and climate. Information on soils and landform was mainly derived from the Soil and Terrain
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(SOTER) Da tabase for north-eastern Africa (F AO, 1998 ), update d with recent information
from the SWALIM s tudy areas. Available d ata on rainfall and potential evapotranspiration
(FAOCLIM, 2001) has been used to define Length of Growing Period Zones (LGP Zones)

Length of Growing Period (LGP)

The length of the growing period ( LGP) as defined by FAO is the period (in d ays) during a
year when precipitation exceeds half the potential evapotranspiration, plus a period required
to transpire an assumed 100 mm of water from excess precipitation stored in the soil profile.
It is a useful concept for calculating agricultural potential and can be used as a criterion for
classifying areas and roughly det ermining crop cycle lengths. Cal culation of the growing
period i s based on a sim ple water balan ce model, comparing precipitat ion w ith PET, using
monthly values. P ET an d Ra infall d ata in S WALIM cli mate ar chive w ere us ed to calculate
LGP for Somalia.

Geology and Soils Data

The existin g soil classifica tion sy stems suffer from considerable c onfusion and a lack o f
consistency between countries. Therefore, presenting a standardized classification is not easy.
There are a nu mber major soil groups in northe rn S omalia with differ ent tex tural
characteristics and fertil ity pr ofiles for purpose s of consistency with other SWALIM an d
generally FAO soil information, FAO SOTER datasets (at a scale of 1:1500000)(FAO, 1998)
were used in this document to extract both geological and soils information.

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2.0 GULF OF ADEN DRAINAGE BASIN
2.1 General Description of the Gulf of Aden Drainage Basin
The Gulf of Aden basin, situated in the northern parts of Somalia, covers the areas drained by
the small wadis and toggas that originate from the gently sloping plateau and passes through
the mountain range extending in an east-west direction. The drainage area covered by these
small seaso nal streams, collectively known as t he Gulf of Aden basin, is about 74,422 k m2
(based on the 90 m SRTM DEM data). The drainage area is sprea d over five administrative
regions - Awdal, West Galbeed, Togdheer, Sanaag and Bari. As administrative boundaries of
regions do not necessarily match the basin boundaries, the drainage basin covers only parts of
some of these regions. The drainage area li es roughly between 42 o 42’ and 51 o 22’ East and
between 9 o 28’ and 12o 1’ North. Figure 2 show s t he ad ministration boundaries with in the
basin and the location of major towns. The figure also shows the distribution of settlements in
the basin wit h majority of the settlement being around the major town centre s. P opulation
estimates (UNDP 2008) in some of the towns include; Borama (82,921), Hargeisa (422,515),
Berbera, Ceerigavo (31,098), Bosasso (107 ,181). N o popu lation d ata is av ailable for other
towns.
The elevation varies from sea level in the coastal areas to over 2000 m a.s.l in the mountain
ranges that extend from the east to the west of the basin. The area slopes from the south to the
north with the drainage flowing towards the Gulf of Aden. 42 % of the area is below 500 m
a.s.l, 94% below 1500 m a.s.l and 5% of the area lie s between 1500 m a.s.l to 2000 m a.s.l.
The high est peak is Mt. S urud; wi th an elevation of 2 ,408 m a.s.l. Figure 2 shows th e
topography within the basin.
The Gulf of Aden basin includes a variet y of morphological featur es, such as accentuated
relief, escarpment, steep slopes, coastal plains, internal plateaus and valleys (Figure 2). Th e
high mountain r ange ru ns parallel to the shore of the G ulf of A den. The mountain range is
constituted by crystalline rocks which are deeply inc ised by nu merous toggas tha t fl ow
towards the Gulf of Aden. Some of the major toggas include Tug Jangarra (3700 km2), Tug
Hodmo (3 800 k m2) and Tug Belgeabbili (4,8 00 k m2). The water from the toggas ba rely
reaches the seas but infiltrates in the coastal plains.

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 Figure 2: General description maps of Gulf of Aden drainage basin
 
 
 
 
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2.2 Climate of the Gulf of Aden Drainage Basin
The climate in this basin is mostly arid and semi-arid. The coastal strip is classified as desert
climate owing to its low rains. The area from Borama to Hargeisa and Sheikh are classified as
humid semi arid zones (Figure 3). This area receives an average of 500 to 600 mm of rainfall
annually. Rainw ater harvesting through va rious m eans is co mmon. H igh short duration
rainfalls are found to generate “sp ates” of runoff often lasting for a few hours to a few day s.
This may however cause localized flooding and soil erosion in the steeper mountainous areas
in t he north -west parts of the b asin. H ence, the meteorological n etwork requi rements for
these areas a re for rai nfall (intensity and am ount) and other cli mate data for flash flood
forecasting and management, ra inwater h arvesting, irrig ation wat er req uirement in small
patches of some mountainous a reas, rain-fed agriculture in li mited areas a nd su pply or
recharge of the groundwater and other water sources.
Rainfall in the dr ainage basin is low and erratic with a mean annual o f 210 mm /year. The
coastal region receives less than 100 mm (less than 20 mm in Alula, Bossaso and Berbera) of
annual rainfall. The rainfall increases inland where up to more than 500 mm annual rainfall is
received e.g. Bora ma (5 43 mm) and in Sh eikh (5 15 m m). The basin, j ust l ike t he rest of
Somalia has a bi modal rainfall distribution, with two rainy seasons (Gu and Deyr).The first
main rainy season (Gu) occurs in the p eriod b etween Ap ril a nd June and the s econd rainy
season ( Deyr) from Septem ber to Novem ber. T here are two d istinctive s easons of dry
periods: Jilaal and Hagga which occur in December - March and July - August, respectively.
The Gu season dominates over the Deyr in quantity and reliability of rainfall and as such it is
treated as the primary cropping season (F igures 3). The Gu rains s tart to reduce in June in
most p arts of the basin save for the mountainous areas around Bora ma which con tinues to
receive a little but significant rains for rain fed agriculture in the months of July and August.
Potential Evapotranspiration (P ET) ranges fro m about 2700 to 30 00 mm per annum in the
north-east coastal regions (Alula and Berbera) whereas it is only 1460 to 1630 mm per annum
inland. The rate of evaporation is generally higher than rainfall throughout the year (figure 3).
Mean tem perature is high in the range of about 25 oC to m ore than 35 oC in the norther n
coastal r egions (e.g. Berbe ra and Bosasso) whil e it is cooler in th e north -western mountain
region (e.g. Hargeisa) where it varies from about 15oC to about 23oC.
The relative humidity (RH) i s hi gher in the coastal regions than in th e inl and ar eas. In th e
case of th e Gulf of Aden basin w hich has wide topographical variations, RH in the northern
coastal reg ion (Alula and Berbe ra) is higher (70 - 75 %) than in the inland- mountainous.

7 
 
  Figure 3: Mean annual weather pattern maps for Gulf of Aden

8 
 
In the mountainous areas (e.g. Hargeisa) the wind speed is quite high, ranging from around 7 m/s to a
peak wi nd s peed of abo ut 11 m/s in Jul y an d Augus t. The n orthern coastal areas (e.g. Berb era an d
Bosasso) have wind speeds varying from around 4 m/s to a high of around 8 m/s in July and August.
Like the rest of Som alia, the basin is highly vulnerable to weather related natural disasters with both
flash flo ods an d dro ught affecting the watersh ed. SWALIM together with lin e ministries in the
respective a reas are r esponsible f or eff ective a nd ti mely collection, analysis a nd di ssemination o f
weather i nformation i n S omalia. T he we ather data co llected is very vital in p roducing weat her
forecasts and early warning. The weather monitoring network in Somalia was largely reduced by the
break of civil war. However, S WALIM and partners have com e on the frontline in efforts t o revive
the crucial weather monitoring network all over Somalia.
Table 1 summarises the monthly and annual average conditions for the Gulf of Aden Basin.

Figure 4: Monthly rainfall and PET for selected stations in Gulf of Aden Basin

Ta ble 1: Mea n Monthly Cli mate Stat ist ics in Gulf of D rainag e Basin
Weather Parameter Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Mean Annual
Rainfall (mm) 4 7 15 39 25 12 21 33 30 10 11 4 211
PET (mm) 164  140  176  176  209  274  282  284  238  179  146  141  201 
Wind speed (m/s) 6  5  6  5  5  8  9  9  6  5  5  5  6 
Mean Temperature (0C) 23  23  25  27  28  31  31  30  29  26  24  23  27 
Minimum Temperature (0C ) 17  18  20  22  23  26  26  26  25  21  18  17  22 
Maximum Temperature (0C ) 31  29  30  32  34  38  37  37  36  31  29  28  33 

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Figure 5: Climate maps for Gulf of Aden Basin 
 
 
 

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2.3 Surface Water Resources of the Gulf of Aden Drainage Basin
The hy drology of the northern parts of the country has been briefly d ocumented by Hunt
(1951), Macfadyen (1950) and Humphreys (1960). The most recent one was done in 1980 by
SOGREAH and Halcrow. No much attention has been paid to such studies in the recent past
despite the need to do so. A wate rshed delineation by SWALIM from 90m DEM shows that
there are numerous short togg as dissecting the escarpment facing the Gulf of Aden. Larger
toggas are located i n the western parts of the basin and drain the mountain areas of Borama,
Hargeisa an d from S heikh to Erig avo all dis charging their water to the c oastal p lain of the
Gulf of Aden. No perennial river of an y importance exists in the basin. Much of the su rface
water of the Gulf of Ad en b asin is ephemeral and co mmonly appear ing as seasonal pond s
(balleh). Streams that flow permanently generally lie on the impervious rock of the highlands,
coastal a rea. Streams a lso o ccur in togg as as spat es which transport large a mount of
sediments. The w adis and togg as, the sea sonal streams, w here d rainage n etworks are
developed, have surface runoff only aft er hea vy rainfall. A fter intense rainfall, these small
streams can carry high floods and debris. The surface runoff lasts from a few hours to a few
days.
No long term surface water monitoring has been done in any of these wadis and toggas. Some
surface water observations were made in the small streams originating from the plateau in the
western region of the Gulf of A den basin by Sogreah in 1980 and 1981. Sogreah monitored
12 hydrometric stations, four w ith wate r lev el recorders an d eight with staff gauge only in
four main catchments in the Gulf of Aden drainage basin. In addition, nine stations were also
installed in small catchments with drainage areas between 6 and 1 72 km 2. Sogreah (1981)
also concluded that, on average, for unit drainage areas of 100 km2 on the pla teau, the runoff
threshold is 24 mm an d the corresponding runoff coefficient is 0.65. In t he case of sm all
catchment areas (2-3 km 2) used for rainwater harvesting, the thr eshold rainfall v alue for
runoff generation was estimated at 15-20 mm.
Wars a nd berkads (also called bailey or water pan, ponds, dam s) used for rain water
(catchment) harvesting are common in N orthern So malia. The 2008 point w ater sources
survey in n orthern Som alia identified 492 point water sou rces with in th e Gulf of Aden
drainage basin. The study b y SWALIM t argeted str ategic point water sour ces including
boreholes, dugwells, springs and big dams. Most point water sources are located around the
settlements and along the toggas (figure 5). The point water sources in the basin are used for
both human and livestock and sometimes for irrigated agriculture. Water quality of the point
water sourc es varies fro m plac e to place; th e coastal wate r sources have less quality
compared to the ones inland. For instance, during the SWALIM surv ey (2008) it was found
that some w ells along th e coast had temperatures of about 40 oC and electro condu ctivity of
about 8000 µS/cm. The pH was also beyond World Health Organisation (WHO) acceptable
levels making such w ater unsuitable for h uman, livestock and agricultural purposes. Due to
lack of other better available sources the community still use the wells in their poor quality.
Of the 492 water poi nts identified 5 8% are dug well s (figure 6). This is the majority water
point type in the basin. Dugwells are always preferred to boreholes because they are cheaper,
easy to maintain and the water level is less deep. The dugwells in the catchment have a depth
11 
 
of up to 30 m and are multipurpose owing to their relative good quality.
Springs are also common and comprises of 24 %. The springs are located all over the basin.
These are permanent natural point water sources. In some cases the local community protect
the springs by building a cover over the well and trapping the water thr ough a pip e. This is
recommended to prevent the water from contamination.
12% of them are boreholes. This is a smaller percentage even though the water quality from
boreholes is always preferable over that of other well types. Boreholes are expensive to drill
and maintain. Most boreholes depths range from 26 t 50 m while there are few that more than
100 m deep.

Figure 6: Point water sources representation in Gulf of Aden Basin 

12 
 
  Figure 7: Water resources maps for Gulf of Aden Basin 
 
 
 
 

13 
 
2.4 Land Resources of the Gulf of Aden Drainage Basin
The Gu lf o f Ad en d rainage ba sin i s mainly made up of sedim entary rocks comprising of
limestone, sandstone and evaporatic rocks. Small patches of metamorphic and igneo us rocks
of the P recambrian and Palaeozoic age ex ists i n the w estern parts of the bas in. T he bas ic
structures in this basin are due to normal faulting (Macfadyen 1933) which dates back from
the upper Eocene to Oligocene. Faulting of the Gulf of Aden was responsible for the uplift of
the p lateau found in no rthern Somalia w hich comprises o f the Golis mountains that are
incised by numerous togga. The coastal plain o the Gulf of Aden is about 1km in the east and
60 km wide in the west and is covered by a mantle of stony and sandy alluvium and raised
beach deposits. The land surface is of quaternary age with most of the shoreline consisting of
raised beaches except for the wide western side which is a basin of subsiden ce. About 65km
west of B erbera there are ex tensive high dun es (8k m w ide) of loose sa nd th at are the most
desert like in the Gulf of Aden ba sin. These sands a re de rived fro m cr etaceous sandstone,
which are locall y up to 1700 m thick (Abate et al 1993 ). 92 % of th e un derlying rock is
classified as undifferentiated unconsolidated sediments
There are no recent studies of the soils. Historical studies indicate that the soils of the Gulf of
Aden basin are dominantly loam and clayey loams that lie on undifferentiated unconsolidated
sediments. All soils are strongly reflective of an arid to semi arid climate and the rocks upon
which th ey have been for med, but vary with in texture and co mposition with l andform and
the length of time that the surface has been exposed to biogeochemical weathering.
In the agricultural areas ranging from Baki, Gebilley, Hargeisa, down to Sheikh and Erigavo,
the soils are mostly loam to clay roam and widely used for crop production. Th e north most
region of Awdal is fully covered by sandy soils that are not suitable for crop production. The
soil map of the Gulf of Aden identifies eight classes of soil; Aeronosols, calcisols, cambisols,
fluvisols, leptosols, rogosols, solonchaks and vertisols.

Figure 8: Soil type percentages in the Gulf of Aden Basin

14 
 
Based on t he agro-eco logical zon es for Somalia th at have been d efined and mapped by
SWALIM, the land in t he Gulf of Aden basin is cat egorized as no t suitable for irrigated
agriculture. However, some patches of areas along the toggas in the mountainous regions in
North Somalia are suited for irrigated agriculture (e.g. Durdur and Gebiley watersheds within
the G ulf of Aden drainage basin). S ome ar eas i n the plateau are as in the w est p arts of t he
basin (around Hargeisa) are marginally suitable for rain-fed cultivation. However, these areas
are mostly m oderately or marginally suitable f or extensive grazing an d forestry plan tation.
SWALIM T echnical Report No . L-12 (2007) more details of the agro -ecological zon es for
Somalia.

SWALIM has u ndertaken a la nd suitability assessment in tw o main areas of interest, one in

the nort h in the Dur Dur and Gebiley watersheds i n the Gulf of Aden drainag e basi n in
Somaliland (Technical Report L-09, 2007) and another in the riverine areas of the Juba and
Shabelle rivers (Technical Report L-09, 2007). These were based on v arious land resources
surveys carried out by SWALIM. The results of these surveys are documented in SWALIM
Technical R eports Nos. L-0 2 (Lan dform), L-0 3 ( Land cover), L-07 (Land use), and L- 08
(Soils), respectively.

From S WALIM l and s uitability studies with t he b asin, it is seen that only the plat eau area
with relatively high rainfall is (moderately) suitable for rain fed crops. This area has two short
growing pe riods (Gu and D eyr, re spectively), separated b y a sho rt dry period (Hagaa) .
Farmers can follow two strategies: either grow a crop with a very short growing period in the
Gu and/or Dey r period, or plant a drought resistant crop with a long g rowth cycle which can
make us e of both Gu and De yr. Presently far mers in the a rea follo w th e la tter strate gy and
grow a sorg hum v ariety w ith a g rowing period of 180 day s. However, an improved early
maturing variety is likely to give a better yield then the traditional late maturing variety. Also,
any early maturing crop gives the farmer the opportunity to plant a second sequential or relay
crop on the same land within a year (SWALIM Technical Report No. L-06, 2007).
The Length of Growing Period (LG P) is the p eriod (i n d ays) that moisture supply exceeds
half potential evapotranspiration2 (P > 0.5PET). The LGP is calculated over a whole year and
may consist of one or m ore “nor mal” or “intermediate” Growing Periods (GP ), whereby a
normal GP is a period in which P exceeds full PET (P>PET) and an intermediate GP a period
in which P exceeds half PET, but is less than PET (0.5PET<P<PET).
Figure 10 shows maps land resources in the Gulf of Aden Basin.

15 
 
Figure 9: Geology and soil maps of the Gulf of Aden Basin 

16 
 
Figure 10:  Land resources map for the Gulf of Aden Basin 
 
 

17 
 
3.0 DARROR DRAINAGE BASIN

3.1 General Description of Darror Drainage Basin

The Darror basin covers an area of 34,195 km2. To its north is the eastern part of th e Gulf of
Aden basin and to its south is th e featureless plateaus separating it from the Tug Der /Nugal
basin. The basin l ies within ce ntral parts of Bari administrative r egion and another s mall
portion falling in th e eastern p arts o f Sanag reg ion. It is the smallest waters hed in northern
Somalia. Th ere is only one major town in this basin wh ich is Iskushban. Populati on in this
basin is sparse and the community is mostly nomadic, this i s due to the harsh cl imate of th e
area and poor land cover that may not sustain livelihoods round the year.

The Darror Valley located sou th of the Meskat and Madow mountains and north of th e Kar
Kar mountains extends from west to east over a length of about 350 km with an area of over
25,000 km2 and average elevation o f up to 300 m a.s.l. There are a nu mber of sm all stream
networks north of the Darror Valley that flow from west to east towards the Indian Ocean,
however, this catchment does not contribute to flows in the main water course of the Darror
Valley. The land here slopes towards the sea and therefore does not hold substantial amounts
of w ater. F or conv enience of p roximity of geograph y an d cli mate, it has b een grouped
together while classifying the major drainage basin as the Darror basin.

The mountains (Madow, Muskat and Kar Kar) range from 1500 m a.s.l. to about 2500 m a.s.l.
the rocky nature o f this area also makes it impossible for m ost livelihood activities. Oasis
farming is very common in this area within the Darror valley. The foot of the mountains are
source of income through cultivation of frankincense trees for export.
Figure 11 shows the basic ge neral i nformation of t he basi n in cluding dist ribution of
settlements and topography.

18 
 
 Mt. Madow
Mt. Meskat

Darror Valley

Kar Kar Mountains

Figure 11: General description maps of Darror drainage basin
19 
 
3.2 Climate of Darror Drainage Basin

Within the Darror drainage basin, cli mate is mostly desert with less than 100 mm of rainfall
per annu m with very high te mperatures and high ev aporation rates. It is one of the driest
regions in So malia. However, on rare occasions, high and shor t duration rainfalls are found
to generate “spates” of runoff. These so metimes t hough may cause localized flooding and
soil erosion in the steeper mountainous areas in the northern and southern parts of the basin.
The main rainy season (G u) is in April and Ma y while Deyr season occu rs in Se ptember to
November. Thes e seasons however do not produc e any significant rain fall. The long ter m
mean monthly rainfall in April and May do not exceed 50 mm of rainfall.

Temperatures here ar e very high thr oughout th e y ear, June through to Septe mber are the
0
hottest months of the y ear in th is region r anging between 30 to 33 C of mean da ily
temperature. December and Janu ary are the coolest months of the y ear; 20 to 23 0C of mean
daily temperatures.

Evaporation rates are very hi gh in this bas in and are alw ays higher th an th e rainf all
throughout the y ear except in April and M ay during the rainy season. The aver age potential
evapotranspiration (PET) in th e catch ment is esti mated to be 2700 m m pe r annum with
maximum evaporation rates taking place in the months of June to September.

Wind speed are also high and are in the range of about 5 m/s to more than 7 m/s in th e
eastern coas tal r egions while the wind is cal m in the north -western mountain r egion (e.g.
Baran) where it varies fro m about 2 m /s to 3 m/s. June through out to September experience
the highest rates of wind speed while April has a mean speed of 3 m/s.

The relative hum idity (RH) is higher in the mountainous areas than in the centr al regions
within the Darror valley.

Climate maps of the dr ainage b asin ar e as shown on figures 12 and 13 whi le t able 2 a nd
figure 14 displays the long term mean monthly weather observation within the catchment.

20 
 
Figure 12: Mean annual weather pattern maps for Darror Basin
21 
 
Figure 13: Climate maps for Darror Basin 

22 
 
 Table 1: Mean Monthly Climate Statistics in Darror Drainage Basin

Weather Parameter Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Mean Monthly Rainfall (mm) 0.0 0. 0 3. 0 22.0 21.0 2.0 0. 0 5. 0 7. 0 6. 0 5. 0 1. 0

Mean Monthly Vapour 20.1 21.1 23.0 25.0 25.2 26.3 26.0 26.3 26.3 24.2 22.0 21.0
pressure
Monthly PET 173.6 151. 2 198. 4 201. 0 272. 8 315. 0 300. 7 310. 0 288. 0 207. 7 165. 0 170. 5

Monthly Wind speed (m/s) 5.6 4.2 3.9 3.0 4.4 7.5 7.4 7.5 6.5 3.4 3.5 4.5

Mean Daily Temperature (0C) 25.9 26. 2 29. 3 31. 7 34. 9 34. 9 33. 7 34. 2 34. 4 31. 4 28. 2 27. 2

Minimum Temperature (0C) 17.7 17.8 20.0 22.6 24.0 25.2 25.1 25.2 24.7 21.2 19.1 18.5

Maximum Temperature (0C) 29.8 30. 1 33. 6 36. 0 40. 0 39. 5 37. 7 38. 5 39. 0 36. 2 32. 5 31. 3

Iscushban

25.0 350
Rain
PET 300
20.0
250
Rainfall  (mm)

15.0
PET (mm)

200

150
10.0

100
5.0
50

0.0 0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Figure 14: Mean monthly weather observations at Iscushban
23 
 
3.3 Surface Water Resources of Darror Drainage Basin

Darror drainage basin is drained by a fairly dense network of seasonal strea ms. Much of the
surface water of the Darror basin is eph emeral and co mmonly appear ing as season al ponds
(balleh). Stre ams tha t flow permanently generally lie on the i mpervious rock of the
highlands, coastal area. Streams also occur in tugga as spates which transport large amount of
sediments. The w adis and togg as, the s easonal s treams, where drainage netw orks are
developed, have surface runoff only after heavy rainfall at other times, the surface runoff is
negligible. Infiltration is very rare due to th e nature of th e basin that slopes towards the sea.
After intense rainfall, these s mall streams can carry high floods and debris. No hy drometric
work has ever been carried out for this basin even during the pre war era. Probably this is due
to the insignificant amount of w ater that flow s in the season al river of which this o ccurs in
times of heavy storms which are also very rare.
A Comprehensive point water sources survey carried out by SWALIM in 2008 indicates that
there ar e ab out 82 str ategic w ater p oints w ithin th e bas in. O f these id entified sour ces, 52%
are dugwells while bor eholes a nd springs take 21% and 27% re spectively. There could be
other water types of water points in the basin e.g. dams and berkads which were not covered
during the survey due to their semi permanent nature tending to dry up most of the time.
Shallow dug wells are common sub-surface water sources in the area. Many of them however
run dry during prolonged droughts. They are also known to have high or ganic contamination
due to poor construction and co mmon outlets for both livestock and hu mans. Shallow wells
are dug along the various toggas of the mountainous regions of the drainage basins in
Northern So malia. S hallow w ells ar e also co mmon in th e nor thern co astal ar eas but th e
quality of water does not meet the WHO standards for m ost purposes. In the plateau areas ,
the water tables are found to be lower and he nce there are less of sh allow dug wells found in
these areas.
Spring water generally flows in stream channels and infiltrates rapidly in boulders and gravel
after short durations. This wate r is of relatively good quality. There are a nu mber of ther mal
springs that flows from the bas e of the mountain areas and faulted rock outcrops along the
coast. The SWALIM survey identified 22 spr ings in the basin. The spr ings are also used f or
human and livestock water consumption.
Boreholes provide water through out the year. The SWALIM survey identified 22 drilled
wells within the basin. These are the only permanent sources water in the catchment and
therefore very crucial all year round as the y serve domestic, livestock and sometimes small
scale irrigation.
A number of oases are found within the Darror valley, oases farming of horticulture is also a
source of livelihood in the basin.

Figure 15 Shows the distribution of strea m network, subbasins and point water sources in the
basin.

24 
 
Figure 15:  Water resources maps of Darror Basin

25 
 
3.4 Land Resources of Darror Drainage Basin
Darror basin lies in five different types of Agro ecolog ical zones. Most of the area lies in to
the zon e cl assified as 2ac a nd 2R. Thes e zon es hav e a co mbination o f ca mbsols, lep itsols
and a little o f the fluvial soils. The basin has less than 30 days of Length of Growing Period
(LGP) during the two r ainy seasons. This is attributed to th e fact that this is a v ery dry zone
with rains not exceed ing 100 mm f or any given season. The area east of Iskushban to th e
coast is no t suitable for agricu lture owing to th e poor soils and very little rains (less than 50
mm per year).
The main land use in th e basin is extensive grazing (pastoralism) and wood collection. Goats
and sheep are grazed mostly on sloping areas, whereas cattle and camels are grazed on flatter
areas A gro-pastoralism is also pr acticed in the mo untainous areas n ear Erigavo w ith sparse
irrigation of vegetables, fruits and sorghum around the toggas.
The land cover of the ba sin is co mprised mostly of natura l vegetation. Land cov er class es
include open Shrub lands and sp arse v egetation w ith po ckets of woodlands and ir rigated
fields. More details on land cover and the vegeta tion of the area ca n be found in FAO-
SWALIM Technical Report No. L-03.
The D arror V alley is located in the arid p art of northeast Som alia. Its soils are highly
influenced b y the ir pare nt material, w hich consis ts mainly of evaporites, li mestone,
conglomerate and alluvial de posits. The most co mmon soils in this ar ea are calcic
Solonchaks, gy psic Sol onchaks, gypsic Calcis ols, hap lic Calcisols, eutric Leptos ols and
calcic Ve rtisols. All soils ha ve a neutra l to w eakly alkaline pH-value and ar e v ery r ich in
carbonates, often rich in gy psum, mainly saline, and their moisture content at the end of the
dry season is much lower than the moisture content of th e permanent wilting point. Most of
these soils have a colo ur of 7.5 YR, which beco mes redder in the subsoil. Analytical data
indicate that the top soils ar e usually enriched in carbona te, whereas the sub s oils are
enriched in gy psum an d/or sal t. T he soi l sali nization is m ainly due to te rtiary e vaporite
formations. The composition of the soil types and texture clearly indicates that the area is not
suitable for optimal land cultivation
The Darror drainage ba sin is char acterized by outcropping of the s edimentary base ment
complex, which ar e made up of undifferentiated, unc onsolidated sediments. A wide coastal
dune system also occurs along th e coastal strip of the bas in. The lithology of the underly ing
rocks is r elatively simple and is domi nated by calcareous formations. The sequence cons ists
of thin and massive white lime stones, marls and evaporates with well developed gypsiferous
layers.

Figure 16 shows land resources maps of the basin while figure 17 shows geology and soils of
the drainage basin.

26 
 
Figure 16:  Land Resources Maps for the Darror Basin

27 
 
Figure 17: Geology and Soils Maps for the Darror Basin  28 
 
 1%

11% Shrubland

Sparse Vegetation
47%
Woodland

41%
Woodland/Irrigated fields

Land Cover Classes in Darror Watershed

Figure 18: Representation of land cover classes in the Darror Basin 
 
 
 
 

1% Pastoralism (low 
density)/Frankincense: shoats
1% 1%
Pastoralism (low 
4% 9% 2% density)/Frankincense: goats

Pastoralism (medium density)/Dates 
oasis farming: goats
9%
24%
1% Pastoralism (low 
density)/Frankincense: shoats

Agropastoralism (low density)/wood 
collection with sparce irrig. 
0% farms/Frankincense: goats, cattle
Pastoralism (medium density)/Oasis 
2% 7% farming: shoats, camels, cattle
39%
Agropastoral (medium density of 
fields)with sparse irrig.fields around 
togas:vegets,fruits,sorghum, shoats
Pastoralism (low density) in coastal 
Land Use systems in Darror watershed plain/dunes: shoats, camels
 
Figure 19:  Representation of land use systems in the Darror Basin 

29 
 
4.0: TUG DER/NUGAAL DRAINAGE BASIN

4.1 General Description of Tug Der/Nugaal Drainage Basin

The Tug D er/Nugaal basin lies within five administrative regions in northern S omalia:
Togdheer, Sool, Sanaag, Bari and Nugaal. The population is mainly concentrated in the town
centres and along the coas tline. Garowe, the hea dquarters of the s emi autonomous Puntland
state is located in this ba sin. Other i mportant towns in the watershed include Las Anod,
Burco, Erigavo and Qardo (Figure 20).
The Tug N ugal dr ains the Nuga l r egion and parts of the T ogdheer and Sool regions. The
Nugal valley extends over 600 k m in length with elevations vary ing from about sea level in
the east to 1,200 m above sea leve l in the wes t. The Sool Platea u, a nearl y featureless plain
covered by limestone and marls, lie between the Darror and Nugal valleys. The elevations of
the basin area vary fr om s ea level in the west to over 2000 m in the m ountain area of the
north-east of the basin. The hi ghest point is 2,233 m. Abou t 24% lies below 500 m , 58%
between 500-1000 m , 15% be tween 1000-1500 m, 3% between 1500-2000 m and a s mall
part of the basin (<1%) is above 2000 m. A lar ge part of the drainage basin is made up of
gently sloping plains such as the Sool Plateau, Sool Ha ud and Qardo Plateaus, and the
Karman and Gubato plains.

30 
 
 Administration Elevation

!! !! !
! ! !! ! ! !!
CEERIGAABO
!
!! CEERIGAABO
!!!!!! ! !
" "
! ! !!
! !! ! !
! ! ! !
!! ! ! !!! ! !!
! !
! !! ! ! ! ! ! !
! ! !
!! ! ! !
!
! CEEL ! !!
! AFWEYN
! ! ! ! !! !
!!! ! !! ! ! ! CEEL AFWEYN
!! !! ! !! !! !
!
!! !!!!
!! !
! !!
!! !
!
"! !! !
!! ! ! ! Sanaag
!
! !! ! !!! ! ! "
! !
!!!!!! ! ! ! !
!
! !!!!!!!! !! ! !! !! ! !
!
! ! !! ! !! ! !
! !! ! ! ! ! ! !! !! ! ! !! !! !
! ! !BURCO
! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! !! ! ! !
! ! !!!!!
QARDHO !! !! !!!!
! BANDARBEYLA BURCO QARDHO BANDARBEYLA
!! !
! !! ! !! !! ! !! ! ! ! !! ! !
!!!!!!!! ! ! !! ! !
"
!
!
!!
!
!
!!! ! ! ! !!
! !! ! !
!"
!
!
!
!! "
!! " " "
!
!! ! ! !! ! !! !! !!! ! ! !! !
! ! !!! !! !! ! !
Togdheer
! !!!
! !
!!!
!!! ! !!
! ! !! ! ! !!! !!! ! !
!
!!
! !
!
! ! !!
! !! !!
! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!! !
!
Bari
! !
! !!! ! ! !! !!!!! XUDUN ! TALEEX ! !
!! !! !! ! !
! !!!
! ! ! !! !!
!
! ! XUDUN TALEEX
!
!
!
! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! "!!!!!!! ! ! !!! "
! !! ! ! ! ! ! " "
! !! ! !! !
! CAYNABO !
! ! ! !! ! ! !! !!! !! ! ! ! ! !
!! !! ! ! !! ! !!! ! ! ! !! ! ! !!! !! ! ! " District Capitals CAYNABO
!! ! " !! ! !! ! Sool
! !!!! ! ! !!!! !!
! ! !! ! !! "
!
! ! !
!
! ! !! ! ! ! !
!
! !
! ! !!
!
! !
! !!!
!
! ! ! !! !!! ! Elevation
! ! !
!!
! !
! !! !!! ! !
!! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! !
!!! !! ! !! !!
Togdheer
! !
!!
!
! ! ! ! !!!!!!! ! !
! !
!!!
!
! !
! 0 - 200
!!! !!!! LAAS !
! !!CAANOOD !!!! ! ! ! !! ! LAAS CAANOOD
! ! !!
!
!!!! !! !!!!! !!
! !!! !
! !! !!GAROOWE
!
! ! !!! ! ! !
! !! !
!! !
! ! GAROOWE
" !! ! !! !! !! !! !!! ! !! ! !!!
!
! !!
! ! ! ! ! ! !! 201 - 300 "
! ! ! ! !! ! "
!
! ! !!
!!!!!! ! ! "
! ! !
!
!!
!! !! Nugaal !! !! ! !!
!!
! !
!! ! 301 - 400
!! ! !!
!!
!!!! !! ! !!!
! EYL
!!! ! EYL
!!
!!!!
"!
401 - 500
"
! Settlement
501 - 750
" District Capitals

Regions 751 - 1,500

1,501 - 2,500

Slope Hill Shade

CEERIGAABO CEERIGAABO
" "

CEEL AFWEYN CEEL AFWEYNSanaag

" "

BURCO QARDHO QARDHO BANDARBEYLA

"
BANDARBEYLA Togdheer
Nuugal
" valley Kar
" Kar Mountains
" " "

XUDUN XUDUN TALEEX Bari

TALEEX
" " " "
CAYNABO CAYNABO
" Sool
"

" District Capitals Togdheer

LAAS CAANOOD LAAS CAANOOD
Slope (degrees) GAROOWE
" GAROOWE "
" Nugaal
Flat (0 - 1) "
Very genlty sloping(1 - 2) Haud hills
EYL EYL
Gently sloping(2 - 5)
" "
Moderately sloping(5 - 9)

Strongly sloping(9 - 16)

Very steep(16- 27)

Extemely steep(27 - 71)

Figure 20: General description maps of Nugaal drainage basin 

31 
 
4.2 Climate of Tug Der/Nugal Drainage Basin
Rainfall in the Tug Der/Nugaal dr ainage bas ins is low and erra tic jus t lik e the r est of th e
country. There are both a seasonal as well inter-annual variations in the a mount of rainfall in
the area. The m ean annual rainfall for the basin is about 168 mm (table 3) . However, som e
areas around Burao, and the mountainous areas of Ceeriga vo receive and av erage of up to
400mm per annu m and is cl assified as hu mid semi arid areas. The centr al areas of the bas in
including Qardo, Laas Canood and Garoowe receiv e the least rains in the catch ment; less
than 100mm per y ear falling in in to a very arid cli mate zone. Rainfall in this b asin increases
with increasing altitude.
About 51% and 20% of the annu al r ainfall occur during the Gu and Deyr seasons,
respectively. The Hagaai season running from July to September benefits from an extension
of the Gu rains and thus receives about 20% of the annu al total rainfall. This Hagaai season
is very important for rain fed agriculture which is common in some parts of the basin.
Potential Evapo-transpiration (PET) ranges from about 2100 mm in Burao to 2700 mm in the
coastal regions. Highest monthly PET values are on different months depending on location.
The mean air temperatures are generally high in the dr ainage basin. M ean temperature is in
the range of about 22 o C to m ore than 33 o C be ing hi ghest from Ma y t o Se ptember i n t he
basin. Higher differ ences in da ily minimum a nd maximum tem perature occur i nland
compared to nearer the coast.
The relative humidity here is more or less constant throughout the year and varies from a low
of 40% (in Qardo) to around 70% (in Las Anod).
Wind speeds vary from a low of about 3 m/s to a high of about 7.5 m/s. Wind speeds ar e
higher during June to August.

Table 2: Mean monthly climate statistics in Nugal drainage basin
Weather Parameter Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Mean Monthly Rainfall (mm)

00 3 22 21 2 0 5 7 6 5 1
Monthly PET (mm)
174 151 198 201 273 315 301 310 288 208 165 171
Monthly Wind speed (m/s)
6 4 4 3 4 8 7 8 7 3 4 5
Mean Daily Temperature (0C)
26 26 29 32 35 35 34 34 34 31 28 27
Minimum Temperature (0C)
18 18 20 23 24 25 25 25 25 21 19 19
Maximum Temperature (0C)
30 30 34 36 40 40 38 39 39 36 33 31

32 
 
Figure 21:  Mean annual weather pattern maps for Nugaal basin

33 
 
Figure 22: Climate maps for Nugaal drainage basin

34 
 
4.3 Surface Water Resources of Tug Der/Nugaal Drainage Basin
Tug Der and Tug Nugal are tw o main drainage sy stems, which f orms a l arge v alley
extending over 600 km in length in the southern and western parts of th e drainage basin. The
total catch ment area of the drainage basin is about 112,231 k m2. An interesting part of this
drainage basin is the Xingalol internal drainage basin whic h re ceives wa ter from the Sool
Haud Plateau.
In the Tug Der/Nugal drainage basin, some surface water records are available for Tug Der at
Burao for six y ears during 1945 to 1950. During th is period, an averag e of about 33 spates
was recorded per y ear. About 85% of these occurred during th e five months from May to
September. It is es timated th at an av erage r unoff of 33 m illion m 3 (MCM) p er y ear,
equivalent to about 22 mm in the 1500 k m2 catchment, occurs in the area (runoff coefficient
of 0.06) ( Kammer,1989). Although som e mountainous ar eas in the basin contain som e
surface w ater, in oth er plain and p lateau ar eas mos t r ainfall is los t and lit tle sur face w ater
ever reaches the Indian Ocean.
The 2008 SWALIM point water sources survey identified a total of 536 strategic point water
sources in the Tug Der/Nugaal basin. Dug wells are common in the basin as water especially
along the dry river beds where th e water table is not very low. 298 dug wells were identified
which is about 56% of the total nu mber of w ater sources in the ca tchment (figure 23). The
dug wells in this bas in are a few meters deep and can store water for a longer time compared
to berkads and dams which run dry as soon as the rains are gone.
Boreholes are also widely used and the SWAL IM surve y iden tified a total of 198 (26%)
boreholes. The boreholes are mainly along the river beds and have varying depth of up to 300
m dip. In some areas the boreholes are used for small scale irrigation when no other source is
available.
Springs are mainly concentrated along the co astal strip of the basin. They comprise of 17%
of the point water sources in the basin. Groundwater recharge is thr ough direct rainfall,
amount of infiltr ation is esti mated to be not more than 5 % of the rainfall due to low and
erratic rainfall (Faillace and Faillace, 1987).
1% Water Sources in
Tug der Wateshed
17%
1% 25%

Dam

Drilledwell

Dugwell

Other
56%
Spring

Figure 23: Representation of point water sources distribution in Nugaal drainage basin 

35 
 
Figure 24: Water resources maps of Nugaal drainage basin 

36 
 
4.4 Land Resources of Tug Der/Nugal Drainage Basin
The Tug Der/Nugaal drainage basin is entirely characte rized by outcropping of the
sedimentary base ment co mplex, which are made up of undiffe rentiated, unconsolidated
sediments. Outcrops of the pre-Cam brian ar e only found in a s mall area in the coastal
mountains especially around Qanda la district. The most do minant for mation w as for med
during Eococene karkar for mation. This formation covers more than 75% (SAWA, 1995) of
the area and consists of inter bedded lime stones and marls with some gypsum beds.
Soils are mainly loam to clay loam, the coastal area has a mixed soil texture. A wide coa stal
dune system also occurs along the coast.
The bas in has a mixture of soil types including Fluvi sols, A erosols, Calcisols, ca mbisols,
gypisols, leptosols and Regosols. The co mposition of th e so il ty pes and textur e clearly
indicates that the area is not suitable for optimal land cultivation. The central part of the basin
is do minated by sandy soils al ong t he co ast an d m oderately deep loam y soi ls w ith a hig h
content of calcium carbonate and/or gypsum further inland. Figure 25 shows the geology and
soil maps of the Nugaal basin.

Defining the agro ecological zones of this basin beco mes difficult owing to the high
variability o f weather both in space and ti me. Using the SW ALIM AEZ classif ication, the
basin has over ten agro ecological zones. Normally, climate and soils are the defining factors
considered in agro ecological zoning. The S WALIM AEZ classification also consid ers land
suitability. Figure 26 s hows the land resources of Nugaal basin while figure 28 s hows the
legend of AEZ for the same basin.
The basin has less than 30 day s of Length of Growing Peri od (LGP) during the two rainy
seasons. This is attributed to the fact that this is a very dry zone with rains not exceeding 300
m for any given season. The ar eas around Burco and Erigavo ar e relatively wetter and are
suitable for Agriculture.
The main land use in th e basin is extensive grazing (pastoralism) and wood coll ection. Agro
pastrolism is a lso practice d in the m ountainous area s near Erigavo and Burao with sparse
irrigation around the togas Cultivation of irrigate d vegetables, fruits and sorghum . Most of
the area is u sed for extensive grazing. Co mmon livestock ar e the ca mels, cattle and shoats.
Oasis far ming is very c ommon in the southe rn parts of the bas in including las Anod, and
Ainabo. Goats and sheep are gra zed mostly on sloping areas , whereas cattle and ca mels are
grazed on flatter areas. Land use map is on figure 26 and the legend is shown on figure 28.

37 
 
Figure 25: Geology and soil map for Nugaal drainage basin 

38 
 
Figure  26:  Land  resources  map  for  Nugaal  drainage  basin

39 
 
 Land suitability
LGP P F
AEZ Soils R I Climate
Extensiv
e Forestry
Gu Deyr description classification Rainfed
Agric Irrigated
Agric
Grazing plantation
1 0 0 various N N S3/N N desert
2G <30 <30 calcareous and stony Calcisols, Gypsisols N N S3 S3
2L <30 <30 shallow Leptosols N N S3/N S3, N
2S <30 <30 high salt content Solonchaks N N S3 S3 arid
1 calcareous Regosols, Fluvisols
2R <30 <30 N N S3 S3, N
2 shallow Leptosols

2aG <30 <30 high lime, gypsum content Calcisols, Gypsisols N N S3 S3 arid
+
2aL <30 <30 shallow Leptosols N N S3/N S3, N
altitude
2aS <30 <30 high salt content Solonchaks N N S3 S3 >500m
2aC <30 <30 calcareous Cambisols N N S3 S3

1 calcareous, clayey Vertisols

3V <30 <30 S3 N S3 S2, S3
2 calcareous, loamy Regosols arid

M Mountains shallow Leptosols N N S3 N, S3

Land Suitabili ty: S1=Highly suitable; S2=Moderately suitable; S3=Marginally suitable; N=Not suitable

Figure 27: Legend for Agro‐Ecological Zones (AEZ) in Nugaal basin 
 
 
Legend for land u se systems in Nug aal b asin 
  Agropastoral (medium density of fields)with sparse irrig.fields around togas:vegets,fruits,sorghum, shoats

  Agropastoralism (high density)/wood collection and irrigated fields:fodder, sorghum, camels, shoats
Agropastoralism (low density)/wood collection with sparce irrig. farms/Frankincense: goats, cattle
  Pastoralism (high density) with scattered irrigated fields: shoats, camels, cattle
Pastoralism (high density) with scattered oasis farming: shoats, camels, horses
 
Pastoralism (high density): camels, shoats, cattle
  Pastoralism (high density): sheep, goats, camels
Pastoralism (high density): shoats, camels, cattle
 
Pastoralism (low density) in coastal plain/dunes: shoats, camels
  Pastoralism (low density): shoats
Pastoralism (low density): shoats, camels
 
Pastoralism (medium density) with scattered oasis farming: shoats, camels, horses
  Pastoralism (medium density)/Oasis farming: shoats, camels, cattle
Pastoralism (medium density)/wood collection: camels, shoats
 
Pastoralism (medium density): shoats, camels, cattle
  Urban area

40 
 
Figure 28: Legend for land use systems in Nugaal basin 

41 
 
5.0: OGADEN DRAINAGE BASIN

5.1 General Description of Ogaden Drainage Basin

A m ajor part of the c entral re gion of Som alia is drained by the extension of the Ogaden
desert that is considered to ex tend from the Ethiopian region northeast of the S habelle River
basin. Migr ation of comm unities from the war torn southern Som alia has been a m ajor
contribution to the increasing population in this basin.
The to tal dr ainage ar ea of the O gaden bas in extending from Ethiopia to co astal areas in
Somalia is about 235,000 k m2 (based on 90 m SRTM DEM data ). Within Som alia, the area
extends over seven regions and 20 districts within the regions and covers a total area of
149,559 km2. The drainage area lies roughly between 42 0 45’ and 49 0 55’ east of the Prim e
Meridian and between 3 0 32’ and 9 0 50’ north of the Equator. The onl y major urban centre
(town) within the drainage ba sin is Galkay o. Though the basin extends to Ethiopia, only the
part in S omali h as been consid ered in this analysis due t o lack of infor mation from the
neighbouring country (Fi gure 30). This is because data from the Ethiopian side of the
drainage basin was not available.
Its elevation ranges from about sea level in the east to 1,563 m in the west. About 76% of the
area is below 500 m , 8% is between 500-1,000 m, 16% is over 1,000 m. The drainage
network in most of the Ogaden region and central Somalia is very sparse and ill defined. The
only reasonably well defi ned water course is in the Bokh Valley in northern Somalia which
has a total length of about 180 km . In other areas, there is som e occasional, localized surface
runoff generated in the poorl y developed seasonal str eambeds, but this generally disappears
quickly through evaporation and infiltration. No water reaches the Indian Ocean.

42 
 
Figure 29: General description of Ogaden drainage Basin

43 
 
5.2 Climate of Ogaden Drainage Basin
Rainfall in Ogaden drainage basins is low and erratic. Th ere are both seasonal as w ell inter-
annual variations in th e amount of rainfall in the area. The mean annual rainfall for the basin
is about 280 mm. However, the north western parts of the basi n receive an av erage of up to
500 mm/year and ar e classified as humid to se mi arid cli mate zone. The area to the south of
the bas in bordering the Shabelle basin in southern Som alia is also s emi hu mid with annual
rains of up to 400mm /year (figure 30). The rest of the basin w hich includes the central par ts
is largely classified as desert.
During the pre war era, only two (Galckayo and Gebilley) rainfall stations existed inside the
basin. However, stations bordering the basin in other watersheds could be used to analyse the
climate con ditions of the O gaden b asin. Cur rently a nu mber of rainfall stations exis t in th e
basin including Odwe yne, Ge billey, B urtinle, Ja ribaan, B urtinle a nd Ga lckayo. Galckay o
station has both the manual rain gauge and an auto matic weather station. It is regrettable that
there is no climate or water resources data that is available from the Ethiopian part that lies in
Ogaden basin. This again calls for more collaboration between the relevant authorities.
Potential Evapo-transp iration (PET) ranges from about 2100 in Bura o to 3000 m m in the
coastal regions. In general the evaporation is higher than rainfall through out the year except
the months of May and October wh ich happens to be the peak of Gu and Deyr rainy seasons
respectively.
The mean air temperatures are generally high in the drainage basin. Mean temperature is high
in the range of about 22 0 C to more than 330 C. March and April are the hottest months of the
year in this basin.
The relativ e hu midity (RH ) is high er in th e coastal regions (up to 70%) than in the inland
(50% to 60%) areas. The southern parts of Togdheer region located in this basin is said to be
the coolest area in Somalia.
Wind speeds vary from a low of about 4.2 m/s to a high of about 8.2 m/s. Wind speeds are
higher during June to A ugust. On an average th e low est values of wind speed occur in the
months of April and Nove mber in the coun try coinciding w ith th e p eaks of th e t wo r ainy
seasons, Gu and Deyr, respectively.

44 
 
45 
 
 Awdal Awdal
Gebilley
Hargeisa
Odweyne OWDWEYNE
Relative Humidity
OWDWEYNE
.
! Potential Evapotranspiration
Woqooyi Galbeed Woqooyi Galbeed
.
!

Togdheer Togdheer

BUUHOODLE BUUHOODLE
.
!
Sool .
!
Sool
Burtinle BURTINLE
Nugaal BURTINLE
Nugaal
.
! .
!
JaribanJARIIBAN JARIIBAN
GALDOGOB .
! GALDOGOB .
!
Relative Humodity
.
! .
!
42 - 43 Galkayo GAALKACYO PET GalkayoGAALKACYO
Ô!
Õ.
Galkayo Õ!
Ô.
43.1 - 53
Mudug < 1000 Mudug
53.1 - 61
CABUDWAAQ CABUDWAAQ
61.1 - 67 .
! CADAADO 1,001 - 1,500 CADAADO
.
! .
!
.
!
67.1 - 76 1,501 - 2,000

DHUUSAMARREEB 2,001 - 2,500 DHUUSAMARREEB

.
! .
!
2,501 - 3,000
Galgaduud Galgaduud
Yibir Suge
Raingauge Station
Õ
Ô Automatic Weather Station CEEL BUUR CEEL BUUR
.
! .
!
District Capital .
!
Raingauge Station
Hiraan Õ
Ô Automatic Weather Station
Hiraan
.
! District Capital

ADAN YABAAL ADAN YABAAL

.
! .
!
Shabelle Dhexe
Shabelle Dhexe

Awdal Awdal
OWDWEYNE OWDWEYNE
.
! .
! Mean Annual Rainfall
Woqooyi Galbeed Mean Annual Temperature Woqooyi Galbeed

Togdheer Togdheer

BUUHOODLE BUUHOODLE
.
! .
!
Sool Sool
BURTINLE Nugaal BURTINLE Nugaal
.
! .
!

JARIIBAN JARIIBAN
GALDOGOB .
! GALDOGOB .
!
.
! .
!
Mean Annual Rainfall
GalkayoGAALKACYO GalkayoGAALKACYO
Annual Temperature Õ!
Ô. Õ
Ô
.
!
14 - 100
< - 20
Mudug Mudug
CABUDWAAQ 101 - 300 CABUDWAAQ
20.1 - 22 .
! CADAADO .
! CADAADO
.
! 301 - 500 .
!
22.1 - 24

24.1 - 26 501 - 600

DHUUSAMARREEB DHUUSAMARREEB
26.1 - 28 .
! 601 - 800 .
!
28.1 - 30
Galgaduud Galgaduud
> 30 Raingauge Station

Õ
Ô Automatic Weather Station CEEL BUUR .
!
District Capital CEEL BUUR
.
! .
!
Raingauge Station
Õ
Ô
Hiraan Automatic Weather Station Hiraan
.
! District Capital

ADAN YABAAL ADAN YABAAL

.
! .
!
Shabelle Dhexe
Shabelle Dhexe

Figure 30: Mean annual weather pattern maps for Ogaden Basin

46 
 
 Awdal
Gebilley
Hargeisa Awdal
OdweyneOWDWEYNE Hargeisa
.
! Gu Seasonal Rainfall Gebilley OdweyneOWDWEYNE Deyr Seasonal Rainfall
Woqooyi Galbeed Woqooyi Galbeed
.
!

Togdheer
Togdheer

BUUHOODLE
BUUHOODLE
.
! Sool .
!
Sool

Burtinle BURTINLE
Nugaal Nugaal
Burtinle BURTINLE
.
! .
!
JaribanJARIIBAN JaribanJARIIBAN
GALDOGOB .
! GALDOGOB .
!
.
! .
!
Galkayo GAALKACYO GAALKACYOGalkayo
Õ!
Ô. Galkayo Õ
Ô
.
!
Galkayo
Mudug Mudug
Rainfall (mm) Rainfall (mm)
CABUDWAAQ CABUDWAAQ
<VALUE> CADAADO CADAADO
.
! .
!
.
! 1 - 60 .
!
2 - 70

71 - 120 61 - 100
DHUUSAMARREEB DHUUSAMARREEB
121 - 200
.
! 101 - 200 .
!
201 - 300
Galgaduud 201 - 350 Galgaduud
301 - 400
Yibir S uge Yibir S uge
401 - 517.0355835 351 - 500
CEEL BUUR CEEL BUUR
Raingauge Station .
! Raingauge Station .
!
.
! District Capital .
! District Capital

Õ
Ô Õ
Ô Automatic Weather Station
Automatic Weather Station
Hiraan Hiraan
ADAN YABAAL
ADAN YABAAL
.
! .
!
Shabelle Dhexe
Shabelle Dhexe

Awdal Hargeisa Awdal

Gebilley Odweyne OWDWEYNE Hargeisa
Gebilley OdweyneOWDWEYNE
.
! FAO ECO Climate Classification .
!
Woqooyi Galbeed Woqooyi Galbeed Koppen Climate Classification

Togdheer
Togdheer
BUUHOODLE BUUHOODLE
.
! .
!
Sool Sool

Burtinle BURTINLE
Nugaal Nugaal
Burtinle BURTINLE
.
! .
!

JaribanJARIIBAN JaribanJARIIBAN
GALDOGOB .
! GALDOGOB .
!
.
! .
!
GAALKACYOGalkayo GalkayoGAALKACYO
Õ!
Ô.Galkayo Õ!
Ô.
Galkayo
Mudug Mudug
CABUDWAAQ Climate Classification Classes CABUDWAAQ
CADAADO .
! CADAADO
.
!
Climate Classification Classes
.
! .
!
BS- Steep Climate
14 - 100 - Desert
BSh - Steepe Warm Climate
DHUUSAMARREEB DHUUSAMARREEB
101 - 400 - Very Arid
.
! .
!
BSk - Steepe Cold Climate
401 - 600 - Semi Arid
Galgaduud Galgaduud
BW - Desert Climate Yibir Suge
601 - 800 - Humid Semi Arid Yibir S uge
Raingauge Station
Raingauge Station CEEL BUUR CEEL BUUR
.
! .
! District Capital .
!
.
! District Capital
Õ
Ô Automatic Weather Station
Õ
Ô Automatic Weather Station

Hiraan Hiraan
ADAN YABAAL
.
!
Shabelle Dhexe
Shabelle
.
! Dhexe

Figure 31: Climate maps of Ogaden basin

47 
 
5.3 Surface Water Resources of Ogaden Drainage Basin
No perennial river of any importance exists in the basin. The wadis and toggas, the seasona l
streams, w here dr ainage netw orks ar e dev eloped, hav e sur face r unoff only af ter heavy
rainfall. No long ter m surface water monitoring has been done in any of thes e w adis and
toggas.
The 2008/09 point water sources surve y in northern and centr al Somalia by SWALIM
identified a total of 420 point wa ter sources within th e basin. The study indicates that ther e
are nu merous such points which could not be fu lly covered by the surv eys due to tim e and
resources. Wa rs a nd be rkads use d for ra in wa ter (catc hment) ha rvesting a re not ve ry
common in Northe rn Somalia. The survey identified only 24 such points. These ar e mainly
berkads and are located on the southern part s of Togdheer region. Da ms are als o ver y
common south east of Galbeed region. A total of 77 dams were identified during the survey.
Dug wells and bore wells ar e very co mmon in the eastern parts of the basin (Mudug and
Galgadud). A total of 209 (50%) dug wells were identified. Boreholes act as the main source
of water here. There are 108 ( 26%) of such points (Figure 32) . The dug wells and boreholes
are used for all kinds of water use including small scale irrigation.
Groundwater is an i mportant source of water to m eet the needs of the human and livestock
population. Data on the aquifers and groundwater systems are scattered and scarce.

48 
 
 Awdal Awdal Sub Catchments
OWDWEYNE Drainage Network OWDWEYNE
.
! .
!
Woqooyi Galbeed Woqooyi Galbeed

Togdheer Togdheer

BUUHOODLE BUUHOODLE
.
! .
!
Sool Sool

BURTINLE
Nugaal BURTINLE
Nugaal
.
! .
!

JARIIBAN JARIIBAN
GALDOGOB .
! GALDOGOB .
!
.
! .
!
GAALKACYO GAALKACYO
.
! .
!
Mudug Mudug
CABUDWAAQ CABUDWAAQ
.
! CADAADO CADAADO
.
! .
!
.
!

DHUUSAMARREEB DHUUSAMARREEB
.
! .
!

Galgaduud Galgaduud
Streams

.
! CEEL BUUR CEEL BUUR
District Capital .
! District Capital
.
! .
!

Hiraan Hiraan
ADAN YABAAL ADAN YABAAL
.
!
Shabelle Dhexe .
!
Shabelle Dhexe

##
##
Awdal
# # Awdal
# #
#
##
##### Ground Water
[G
##
G##
# ## [
##### .[
OWDWEYNE
Water Sources
OWDWEYNE

###
Woqooyi
###
# # [
Galbeed [!
$$ Woqooyi Galbeed
.
!
# # [
#### [ ##[ $
G
# [ [##$$#
$$
$#
### [$#
Togdheer
$$ $$ G
Togdheer
[$[#$ $
$#
$
.
!
G[[
BUUHOODLE
[ .
!
BUUHOODLE

[ Sool
G XG Sool
G
[ BURTINLE
NugaalG[[G
[[ X
[ BURTINLE
Nugaal
G
G
.
! .
!
G [[
G G
[ [[JARIIBAN JARIIBAN
GG [
G [
G
GG
GALDOGOB
G[
G
.
!
G[ GALDOGOB .
!
GG!. [
G GGGGAALKACYO
G
[[
.
!
GalkayoGAALKACYO
[G
G Õ!
Ô
.
! District Capital
[Mudug
[[[ [
[ GG
.
! .
Mudug
[
G[ [[ [ G[[
[[
Water Sources

# Dam
[
G!. [[
.[
[
CABUDWAAQ
[ [
G [
CADAADO
CABUDWAAQ
.
! CADAADO

G G [ G [
G
!
[
[ [[
G
[[[
G [
G
[[[[[[[
[[
[ District Capital
.
!
[ [[
.
!
Drilledwell

[ GG [[
[ [
G[G
[ G [[
[ G [[
[[[
[[[
[
Dugwell

[
[
[[[ G [ G [
[ [ [
Salty Ground Water
$ Other
[
G
G[
.[
G
!
[
[
G[ [
DHUUSAMARREEB

[G Central Rangeland .
!
DHUUSAMARREEB

X Spring
[[
G [
[ [[ Galgaduud Border Belt between Balanbaal and Buur Yacab Galgaduud

[ CEEL BUUR
Dhusamarreb-Ceel Buur Artesian Sub-Basin
CEEL BUUR
.
!
[ Dhusamarreb-Galcacyo-Balli-Busle Balli-Busle .
!

Southwestern side of the Mudug-Galgadud Plateau

[[
Hiraan [
[[G
Hiraan
ADAN YABAAL ADAN YABAAL
.
!
Shabelle Dhexe .
!
Shabelle Dhexe

Figure 32: Water Resources maps for Ogaden basin

49 
 
5.4 Land Resources of Ogaden Drainage Basin
Ogaden basin has a mix of geological classes as indicated on figure 33. The ro ck type in this
basin is primarily sedimentary.
The basin has a mix of soil groups including Fl uvisols, Arenosols, Ca lcisols, cam bisols,
gypisols, leptosols and Regosols. The central part of the basin is dominated by loam and clay
soils while the coastal strip is covered by sandy soils.
The length of the growing period in the bas in is less th an 30 da ys both in gu and deyr rain y
seasons owing to the low rains experienced in most parts of the drainage basin.

50 
 
51 
 
 Awdal Awdal
OWDWEYNE
.
! Geology
OWDWEYNE
Rock Types
Woqooyi Galbeed Woqooyi Galbeed
.
!

Togdheer Togdheer

BUUHOODLE BUUHOODLE
Geological Classes .
!
Sool .
!
Sool
Basic and ultrabasic rocks
BURTINLE
Nugaal BURTINLE
Nugaal
Basic and ultrabasic rocks/ Pyroclastic rocks .
! .
!
Crystalline limestones/ Marls (calcareous mudstones) JARIIBAN JARIIBAN
Grains, relatively rich sandstones GALDOGOB .
! GALDOGOB .
!
.
! .
!
Pyroclastic rocks GAALKACYO GAALKACYO
Undifferentiated basement system gneisses/rocks
.
! .
!
Mudug Mudug
Undifferentiated igneous rocks
CABUDWAAQ CABUDWAAQ
Undifferentiated unconsolidated sediments .
! CADAADO CADAADO
.
! .
!
.
!
Undifferentiated unconsolidated sediments/ Calc-Silicate gneisses (granulites)

Unknown
DHUUSAMARREEB DHUUSAMARREEB
.
! .
!

Galgaduud Galgaduud

CEEL BUUR .
! District Capital CEEL BUUR
.
! .
!
Sedimentary
Hiraan .
! Hiraan
District Capital

ADAN YABAAL ADAN YABAAL

.
! .
!
Shabelle Dhexe
Shabelle Dhexe

Awdal Awdal
OWDWEYNE OWDWEYNE
.
! .
! Soil Types
Woqooyi Galbeed Soil Texture Woqooyi Galbeed

Togdheer Togdheer

BUUHOODLE BUUHOODLE
.
! .
!
Sool Sool
BURTINLE
Nugaal BURTINLE Nugaal
.
! Soil Groups .
!

JARIIBAN JARIIBAN
.
! .
!
.
!
GALDOGOB
Arenosols .
!
GALDOGOB

GAALKACYO GAALKACYO
.
! .
!
Calcisols
Mudug Mudug
CABUDWAAQ CABUDWAAQ
.
! CADAADO Cambisols .
! CADAADO
.
! .
!

Gypsisols
DHUUSAMARREEB DHUUSAMARREEB
Soil Texture .
! .
!
Leptosols
Unknown
Galgaduud Galgaduud
Clay
Clay loam CEEL BUUR
Regosols CEEL BUUR
.
! .
!
Loam
Hiraan .
! District Capital Solonchaks Hiraan
Sand
.
! District Capital
ADAN YABAAL
Vertisols ADAN YABAAL
.
! .
!
Shabelle Dhexe
Shabelle Dhexe

Figure 33: Geological and soil map for Ogaden basin

52 
 
 Awdal
OWDWEYNE
Awdal .
!
OWDWEYNE Agro Ecological Zones Woqooyi Galbeed Length of growing period
.
!
Woqooyi Galbeed
Togdheer
Togdheer
BUUHOODLE
.
!
BUUHOODLE Sool
.
! Sool
BURTINLE
Nugaal
.
!
BURTINLE
Nugaal
.
! JARIIBAN
.
!
District Capital GALDOGOB .
!
JARIIBAN .
!
GALDOGOB .
! GAALKACYO
AEZ .
! .
!
11V
GAALKACYO Mudug
.
!
Mudug CABUDWAAQ
CADAADO
2C .
!
CABUDWAAQ
.
!
.
! CADAADO
2G .
!
DHUUSAMARREEB
2L .
!
DHUUSAMARREEB
.
!
2S .
! District Capital
Galgaduud
2aG Galgaduud
CEEL BUUR
.
!
3V CEEL BUUR
.
!
5C
Hiraan
11-Gu+Deyr merging total 90-119 days, Mean annual rainfall=400-500 mm - Dry Semi-Arid
D Hiraan ADAN YABAAL
2 -Gu<30 days, Deyr<30 days, Mean annual rainfall=100-250 mm - Arid .
!
Shabelle Dhexe
M ADAN YABAAL 2a-Gu<30 days, Deyr<30 days, >800m altitude, Mean annual rainfall=200-250 mm - Arid
.
!
Shabelle Dhexe 3 -Gu<30 days, Deyr<30 days, Mean annual rainfall=300-500 mm - Arid and Dry Semi-Arid
5 -Deyr 30-59 days, Mean annual rainfall=200-350 mm - Arid and Dry Semi-Arid

Awdal
Hargeisa
Awdal Gebilley Odweyne OWDWEYNE
.
!
.
!
OWDWEYNE
Land Use Systems Woqooyi Galbeed Land Cover
Woqooyi Galbeed

Togdheer Togdheer

BUUHOODLE
.
!
BUUHOODLE District Capital .
!
.
! Sool Sool
Land Cover Nugaal
Burtinle BURTINLE
BURTINLE
Nugaal .
!
.
! Grassland
Jariban JARIIBAN
JARIIBAN GALDOGOB .
!
GALDOGOB .
! .
!
.
! Rainfed Crop Fields GalkayoGAALKACYO
GAALKACYO Õ
Ô
. Galkayo
!
.
!
Rainfed Crop Fields/Irrigated fields/Shrubland Mudug
Mudug
CABUDWAAQ
.
! CADAADO
CABUDWAAQ
.
! CADAADO
Shrubland .
!
.
!

Shrubland/Rainfed Crop Fields/Irrigated fields DHUUSAMARREEB

DHUUSAMARREEB .
!
.
!
Sparse Vegetation Galgaduud
Galgaduud Yibir Suge

.
! CEEL BUUR
District Capital
CEEL BUUR
Woodland .
!
.
!
Woodland/Irrigated fields
Hiraan
Hiraan
ADAN YABAAL
Woodland/Rainfed Crop Fields .
!
.
!
ADAN YABAAL
Shabelle Dhexe
Shabelle Dhexe

Figure 34: Land resources maps in Ogaden basin

53 
 
 Legend for Landuse Systems in Ogaden watershed
Agropastoral (high density of fields): sorghum, maize, shoats, cattle
Agropastoral (medium density of fields) in stabilized sand dune: cowpea, casava, shoats, cattle, camels
Agropastoral (medium density of fields) with irrigated fields around togas: vegets, fruits, shoats
Agropastoral (medium density of fields)/wood collection: sorghum, shoats, cattle
Agropastoral (medium density of fields): sorghum, maize, shoats, cattle
Agropastoralism (high density)/wood collection and irrigated fields:fodder, sorghum, camels, shoats
Pastoralism (high density) in coastal plain/dunes: sheep, cattle, goats
Pastoralism (high density) with scattered irrigated fields: shoats, camels, cattle
Pastoralism (high density): camels, shoats, cattle
Pastoralism (high density)with scattered oasis farming: shoats, camels
Pastoralism (low density) with scattered oasis farming in a gypsiferous surface: shoats, camels, cattle
Pastoralism (low density)/Quarries in a rocky surface: shoats, camels
Pastoralism (low density): shoats
Pastoralism (low density): shoats, camels
Pastoralism (low density): shoats, camels, cattle
Pastoralism (low density): shoats, cattle, camels
Pastoralism (medium density) with scattered oasis farming: shoats, camels, horses
Pastoralism (medium density)/wood collection: camels, shoats
Pastoralism (medium density): shoats, camels, cattle

Figure 35: Legend for land use systems in Ogaden basin

54 
 
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