The Somali region of Ethiopia is an arid area which suffers from water shortages every year. However, the degree of severity can differ quite markedly from year to year, and the existence of micro-climates within the region means that needs are never uniform. In 2011, the region experienced two consecutive rain failures, resulting in one of the driest years since 1950/51.
Harshin has been identified by FEWSNET as a hot-spot for drought-related activities in 2012 as well. In 2011, Oxfam took on a significant water trucking operation in Harshin woreda to deliver water to some of the most vulnerable and isolated communities. The program was logistically cumbersome and costly, the water did not always reach the targeted beneficiaries, and the price paid for water was higher than the market average.
The rationale for organizing this EMMA was as follows: a) To improve the design of drought responses in the Somali region by defining the most appropriate modality for water provision; b) To build the capacity of WASH practitioners in using the EMMA tool; and c) To identify potential alternatives to water trucking in arid and semi-arid lands. This EMMA study included compared the water market system in Harshin during a normal year (2009), a bad drought year (2011), and the current year (2012).
Key analytical questions focused on availability of and access to water in these different years, the capacity of the commercial water trucking market to provide adequate water supplies during critical times and the different available means of water provision. This was the first opportunity for a WASH team to carry out an EMMA on a critical market such as commercial water trucking.
