Addis Ababa — A severe water shortage is gripping Guchi Woreda in Borana Zone, southern Oromia, as ponds and wells dry up, forcing residents to travel more than 20 kilometers in search of drinking water for their families and livestock.
News analysis reports Residents of Liboma, Saden, Allo Takka and other villages told Addis Standard that the worsening shortage is placing a heavy burden on pastoralist communities, with women and children spending hours travelling to distant water points and waiting in lengthy queues.
The shortage is also threatening livestock, which remains the primary source of livelihood for the predominantly pastoralist population. Residents said many animals have become emaciated as access to water becomes increasingly difficult.
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Isaaq Abdi, a resident of Liboma village, said the lack of nearby water sources has severely disrupted daily life in the community.
"Women wake up early at dawn, pack their donkeys and trek in search of water," Isaaq told Addis Standard, describing the daily ordeal faced by women in Liboma.
He said some residents walk more than 20 kilometers to fetch water for their families and livestock. Even after reaching water points, they often have to wait seven to eight hours before their turn, exposing them to prolonged heat and hunger.
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Browse Digital Magazines A resident who requested anonymity said communities in Liboma and Saden are currently travelling between 18 and 20 kilometers in search of water. He recalled that government institutions and humanitarian organizations previously supplied water by tanker during dry seasons, but said many have since discontinued the service.
Drying water sources worsen pressure on pastoralists
Discover morePoliticsAccess Premium NewsSubscribe To News A resident of Allo Takka said the situation in his area mirrors conditions in Saden and Liboma, where natural water sources, including ponds and deep wells, have dried up.
The drying of these sources has left residents dependent on increasingly distant water points. For pastoralist households, the shortage poses a direct threat to livestock and livelihoods.
Isaaq said women and children are particularly affected. Children accompanying livestock to distant water points often leave early in the morning without adequate food and return home late in the evening exhausted and hungry.
Residents said the shortage has also extended to communities in the Liboma cluster, where some people are travelling more than 25 kilometers to Laga Surre in Moyale Woreda to collect water.
17 of 19 kebeles reportedly lack adequate drinking water
Residents said the water shortage affects much of Guchi Woreda, with 17 of its 19 kebeles reportedly lacking adequate access to drinking water.
They acknowledged previous efforts by the Oromia Regional Government to improve water access and reduce pastoralists' dependence on rainfall, including irrigation schemes, the Finna Pond project and community ponds.
However, residents said these interventions have not sufficiently addressed the current shortage. In Saden Kebele, studies for the Finna Pond project at Laga Burra were reportedly completed by the Oromia Irrigation Bureau, but the project has yet to become operational.
The stalled project has heightened concerns among residents who say they remain without a sustainable source of water as existing ponds and wells dry up.
Guchi official confirms complaints, says emergency water trucking underway
The worsening shortage has revived fears among residents who have experienced severe droughts in southern Oromia, particularly in Borana and Guji zones, in recent years.
A senior Guchi Woreda official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to Addis Standard that residents' complaints about the water shortage are genuine.
Browse Digital Magazines The official said the government had constructed water ponds in areas including Wadamo and Koticha, but inadequate rainfall during the short rainy season meant that the ponds failed to collect sufficient water.
"Residents are walking many kilometers to find drinking water. The issue was escalated to relevant authorities, and as a short-term solution, one water truck arrived in Guchi Woreda yesterday," the official said.
The official said a schedule would begin tomorrow to dispatch the water tanker to the most severely affected kebeles on a rotating basis.
Longer-term measures, including implementation of the Finna Pond project and other water-development initiatives, are also being planned to address the area's chronic water insecurity, according to the official.
Addis Standard reported in November 2025 that Borana pastoralists were still struggling to recover from the devastating drought that struck the zone between 2020 and 2023, killing an estimated 3.3 million livestock and causing losses of about 33 billion birr. Despite two subsequent rainy seasons, many pastoralist households had yet to rebuild their herds and livelihoods, with some turning to farming and small-scale trade amid the zone's predominantly arid conditions.
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The drought also displaced around 30,600 households, or nearly 170,000 people, across 21 locations in Borana, according to the zone's Buusa Gonofaa office. While many displaced families returned following improved rains, more than 5,500 households remained in displacement sites in Dubluq, Elway and Mega. Pastoralists and local officials have since called for longer-term interventions to strengthen resilience and address recurrent drought, warning that the loss of livestock has had far-reaching economic, social and cultural consequences for Borana communities.
Addis Standard also reported in August 2026 that a severe livestock disease outbreak was causing significant losses of goats and sheep in parts of Borana Zone. Residents in Taltallee District reported that some households had lost dozens of animals, with affected livestock deteriorating rapidly and displaying symptoms including bloody nasal discharge, severe diarrhea and coughing. Veterinary authorities identified the disease as Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), a highly contagious viral disease that primarily affects goats and sheep and poses a significant economic threat to pastoralist communities.
The outbreak came as Borana pastoralists were still grappling with the lingering effects of prolonged drought and livestock losses. Residents warned that further animal deaths could deepen the economic hardship facing households whose livelihoods depend heavily on livestock, underscoring the vulnerability of communities already struggling to rebuild their herds and recover from successive shocks.
