Leadership
Muna Abdalla Ahmed Ismail
Head of the Center for Ground and Surface Water Management
Muna Abdalla Ahmed Ismail
Head of the Center for Ground and Surface Water Management
Muna Abdalla Ahmed Ismail is the Head of the Center for Ground and Surface Water Management at the Hargeisa Water Agency, where she leads critical water infrastructure projects and ensures water quality compliance. With a Master's in Sustainability Leadership from Arizona State University and a Bachelor's in Environmental Health, Muna brings a robust background in sustainable water management and environmental science. Her experience spans water quality expertise, project oversight, and technical analysis, significantly contributing to vital initiatives like the Hargeisa Water Supply and Kalqoray Dam projects.
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Center for Ground and Surface Water Management
The main objective of the center is to ensure water sustainability by recharging the aquifer and diversifying water sources through rainwater harvesting projects such as the construction of dams (sub-surface, storage, and sand dams) to ensure the sustainability of the aquifer while reducing the stress of water demand on the aquifer, and providing clean surface water to the population. Thus, the center will be focusing on constructing surface water treatment facilities in the near future.
Moreover, the center also focuses on recording real-time data on the water levels to study and assess the effects of climate change and over-extraction on the levels of water and the sustainability of the aquifer. Furthermore, the center also puts efforts into environmental sustainability as its recent project was on invasive plant control such as Prosopis Juliflora also known as Garanwaa, while also navigating through the potentiality of switching to hybrid renewable energy systems to improve air quality, while also cutting costs on non-renewable energy sources. Furthermore, the center possesses many assets which include heavy machinery that assists in carrying out the different projects at the agency.
Recently Completed Projects & Key Outcomes:
Kal-Qoray Dam
Civil works, spillway, and intake completed; impoundment began Q2-2025
Adds ~1.6 million m³ of seasonal storage for potable supply and downstream recharge
Sub-surface Dam
Permeable cut-off curtain finished, apron stabilized
Raises local groundwater table by up to 3 m, cutting evaporation losses and improving shallow well yields
Horahaadley MV Line Expansion (2023)
18 km of medium-voltage line energized
Provides reliable grid power to new boreholes & treatment units, reducing diesel use by ~40 %
New Production Boreholes
Six wells drilled, test-pumped, and tied into the network
Adds 6,000 m³/day of peak groundwater capacity and operational redundancy
Gal-Saxar Dam – Feasibility Study (2024)
Final report submitted & approved
Defines a phased 5 Mm³ storage option, now ready for detailed design and financing
Boreholes Water Level Monitoring
- Over the past 40 years, Hargeisa’s population has grown exponentially and is now estimated at over 1.3 million people. This rapid urban expansion has led to a significant increase in water demand. Currently, the Hargeisa Water Agency (HWA) produces and pumps approximately 18,000 m³ of water per day.
- To manage its groundwater resources effectively, the Center conducts regular static water level monitoring across all three existing well fields, ensuring continuous assessment of aquifer health. Monitoring results show that the Geed-Deeble aquifer—Hargeisa’s primary groundwater source—is under increasing stress. It is clear that groundwater alone can no longer meet the city's growing water needs.
- The center conducts monthly assessment of the status of groundwater levels in the Geed-Deeble aquifer, and recommend targeted interventions to strengthen HWA’s water resource management practices.
Key Projects Funded and Implemented by HWA
- Funded and Implemented by HWA
- Kal-Qoray Dam Project
- Subsurface Dam Project
- Horahadley MV line Expansion Project
- Drilling New Boreholes
- Horahaadley MV Line Expansion Project 2023
- Gal-Saxar Dam Feasibility Study 2024
Drilling New Boreholes Using Our Own Rig
We recently acquired its first government-owned drilling rig, marking a significant milestone for the agency. In early November, after approximately 20 days of operation in Las Duure, we successfully completed drilling our first borehole using the new rig. Currently, we completed drilling our forth borehole already!
There are many advantages to owning a rig:
- Cost Efficiency
- Enhanced Operational Capacity
- Long-Term Investment
- Support for Community Development
- Capacity Building
Projects Funded by HWA and Implemented by The Center for Ground and Surface Water Management
Projects Funded by HWA and Implemented by The Center for Ground and Surface Water Management
Darayga Subsurface Dam Project
HWA has taken the responsibility to establish water sustainability projects to reduce the stress on the aquifer while mitigating the effects of climate change. Subsurface dams are barriers of low permeability that are constructed underground. These structures reduce or stop the lateral flow of groundwater to store water underground and raise the groundwater table. Subsurface dams augment aquifer storage in semi-arid basement terrains with high drought propensity. This technology could aid the rural poor in their battle for subsistence in such areas. To construct subsurface dams, a trench is built across a stream or valley until the depth of the bedrock or a layer of clay is reached. An impervious or low permeability wall is constructed within the trench, and the trench is filled with the excavated material.
The Darayga subsurface dam in Geed-Deeble. The subsurface is expected to recharge eight boreholes and contribute to significant benefits to the environment and the groundwater aquifer. This project is funded by Hargeisa Water Agency and implemented by The Center for Ground and Surface Water Management of HWA. The total cost of the dam was USD 259, 533. The dam works started on November 15, 2022, the dam was officially inaugurated on January 26, 2023.
One of the challenges was that the construction works could not continue on the next sections of the trench; thus, to overcome the obstacle, our team surveyed another area at the same river and found a new location 130m away from the upstream, the crest length became 234m and the depth of the wall between 3m-8m.
Dimensions of the reservoir - Maximum extent of reservoir area: 1.5km length, about 110m average length (lowest estimate), about 0.165km2 area - Volume of reservoir layer: About 907,500 m3 (estimate) - Water storage capacity: About 375,000 m3 (estimate).
Kal-Qoray Dam- Biggest Dam in Somaliland
Kal-Qoray Dam is a promising dam that is set to be the largest dam in Somaliland.
Kal-Qoray Dam has been established after a careful study that lasted for 10 months by a professional dam consultancy company. The Concrete‐Face Rockfill Dam (CFRD) project had started in January 2023. The project is expected to be completed by February 2023 with the progress standing at 98 % now.
Features of the dam:
- Dam crest length: 658m
- Dam height: 10m
- Total Storage potential: 1.1 Million MCM
- Spillway length: 300m
- 200m C30 concrete
- 100m riprap
- 40m Outlet chamber of two DN600 pipes
The total estimated cost of the Kal-Qoray dam is USD 5 million
All the heavy machinery active at the site are owned by Hargeisa Water Agency and under the Center for Ground and surface Water Management, except for the sino trucks provided by the Road Development Authority (RDA).
Design of the dam
Horahaadley MV Line Expansion Project 2023
The Horahaadley MV line extension project was initiated to replace the diesel-powered machines with the MV line to ensure the reliability of the system.
A medium voltage (MV) line project typically refers to the installation and construction of an electrical power transmission or distribution line that operates at medium voltage levels.
The MV line is connected from the nearest wells, the total length of the line is 7 km. This project is 11000V (11KV), it has 3 transformers, about 111 poles, and a 22 km cable.
Gal-Saxar Dam Feasibility Study 2024
- Feasibility Study of Gal Saxar Dam
The study envisages the identification and assessment of the potential dam site with the goal of building a water storage dam for the Hargeisa water supply's supplemental source. In the end, a refined reconnaissance-level report for the study will be prepared, stating the initial recommended designs for different development choices.
- Geographic Location: The Galsaxar Dam is situated approximately 28.5 km from Hargeisa, the capital city of Somaliland, and 6.5km from Geed-deeble booster station to the west. the site is accessible through the all-weather road from Hargeisa to Geed-Deeble and the remaining 6.5km road from Geed-deeble to the site is accessed through river wadi that will necessitate access road construction during project implementation.
The dam site is located in a region characterized by semi-arid climatic conditions, experiencing irregular rainfall and limited surface water resources.