What are sand dams? And how can they transform a country?

This article was written by our excellent intern Liam Roarty

Somalia and Climate

Since its founding in 1960, Somalia has struggled with chronic food and water scarcity.  Situated in the rain shadow of the Ethiopian highlands–which deflects storms away from the country–and outside the path of the Indian Ocean’s monsoons, Somalia has always been dry.  Climate change, however, has worsened the situation, and constant internal conflict has done little to rectify it. 

In the last 20 years global rainfall has averaged about 800mm, but most of Somalia is far below that mark, clocking a maximum of 348mm with some regions dropping to the 100 or 50mm mark–orders of magnitude under the global average and five times less than the 250mm requirement for an area to be considered a desert. (NCEI.Monitoring.Info@noaa.gov) (World Bank Group)  Despite this, however, efforts are still being made to improve the country’s situation.  One such effort is the growing research into and use of sand dams.

What are Sand Dams?

Sand dams, as described by the Water Project–a leading promoter of their use to transform African environments–are reinforced cement dams, placed in sandy, seasonal rivers.  These dams not only hold water, as other dams do, but also hold back the flow of sand and other sediment downstream.  This sediment holds water throughout the dry season, where a standard dam would allow it to evaporate, allowing for well use year-round while also recharging the local groundwater.

In a country such as Somalia, where rainfall is both seasonal and scarce, these efficient and easy-to-make sand dams could change the game, allowing for increased agricultural production year-round.

Success on the Ground

Re-entering the country in 2015, the World Bank placed renewed focus on supporting water in Somalia.  Despite concerns about the Somali Government’s capacity to receive and utilize money for the construction of the dams, substantial progress has been made.  After initial investments showed the idea’s merits, the Biyoole (Somali for water carrier) project soared with an initial $42 million in funding and nine dams already constructed.  These dams have massively improved the quality of life surrounding the new water points, allowing for livestock, agriculture, and local water access.

The Future

While an end to the conflict in Somalia remains doubtful and the ever-worsening climate persists, renewed world investment in the country’s water resources has–and will continue to–improve the population’s situation.  Plans are in the works for more dam construction, and researchers are digging into the potential for groundwater expansion more than ever.

The impact of a solution found in Somalia would be revolutionary. In a world of finite water, such an inexpensive and easy-to-upkeep way of maintaining the supply could transform the way we deal with droughts, deserts, and scarcity in general.

Works Cited

NCEI.Monitoring.Info@noaa.gov. “Climate at a Glance | Global Time Series | National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).” Noaa.gov, 2025, www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/global/time-series. Accessed 4 June 2025.

World Bank Group. “World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal.” Climateknowledgeportal.worldbank.org, 2021, climateknowledgeportal.worldbank.org/country/somalia/climate-data-historical.

The Water Project. “How Sand Dams Work.” The Water Project, 2019, thewaterproject.org/sand-dams.