OIC alliance announces pledges to dig 682 boreholes in Somalia

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held a Conference under the theme of "Water for Life in Somalia" in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Wednesday, 5 October 2011 and exceeded the OIC ceiling of expectation with regard to the overall required pledges for the drilling of boreholes in Somalia in order to face up the acute water shortage that led to famine during summer of last year, resulting in deaths of many humans and livestock. The Conference, which was held under the guidance of the OIC Secretary General, Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, issued a declaration to drill 682 boreholes or water wells in eleven provinces in Somalia at a total cost of up to USD82 million. The OIC had proposed to 32 non-governmental relief organizations that participated in the Conference, to drill 218 boreholes at a total cost of up to USD 36 million to meet the minimum needs of water for Somali people, but the number was redoubled giving a strong impetus to the OIC action in Somalia. Chairman of the Conference OIC Assistant Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, Ambassador Atta ElMannan Bakhit, considered the generous response of non-governmental organizations as a testimony for the success of OIC campaign which was launched on the first of last August through provision of emergency food assistance to those affected by drought. Twenty-seven organizations announced to dig the boreholes in one year. Ambassador Bakhit expressed thanks and gratitude to the organizations that agreed to contribute to the OIC efforts to begin the recovery phase which the OIC seeks to accelerate its implementation after the success achieved during the ongoing emergency relief phase. Ambassador Bakhit extended special thanks to the Saudi national campaign for the relief of Somalia, which expressed its intention to drill 150 wells, the largest pledge presented during the conference. Ambassador Bakhit clarified that Cairo Conference is of a particular importance as it was the first Conference of OIC alliance of organizations after nearly meeting requirements of the emergency phase, pointing out that the Conference marked the beginning of the recovery phase. He also said that wells-drilling is a key factor to encourage displaced people and refugees to return to their villages and also forms the basis for recreating livestock, rehabilitation of agriculture, and paves the way for other development projects such as in health and education sectors.