Eighty Somali boat owners and boatmen who make their living transporting good and people on the river Shabelle have been out of work for months since the water levels in the river fell because of the drought.

Abdulkadir Mohamed Amin’s three boats are now moored idle along the river bank in this part of Middle Shabelle region. He is struggling to support his family of seven.

“My three boats would bring a total of at least $150 after paying my six workers and the fuel for the boats. We were able to have three meals a day. Sometimes I could afford to support my relatives too as I was well off – but not anymore!” Abdulkadir rued.

When his savings ran out, he moved his family from Maagay village to Jowhar, seven kilometres away, to be near his relatives who support them with dry food that enables them to cook one meal a day. They are temporarily living in three rooms owned by his brother who is away in Saudi Arabia.

Abdulkadir tried several times to look for odd jobs in quarries or farms, but without any success. “There is nowhere you can find a job. The farms have shrivelled and even the farmers have no water for their crops. The river is now like an open field, you can see children playing football there,” he said.

It is unlikely that his daughter and two sons will be able to return to classes when the schools reopen after the holiday as he has defaulted on their school fees for two months.

Boats are normally the main means of transport in this area as the roads are in poor condition and often impassable. Produce from farms 10-15 kilometres east of Jowhar in areas such as Mandhere, Deymasame, Tugarey and Gashanle used to be transported by river for sale in Jowhar.

Abdifatah Hussein Ahmed was working four days a week as a boatman making around 160 dollars. He is the sole breadwinner for his family of four, paying the school fees for his two sons and the $50 rent for the family’s two roomed house in Maagay.

From May, as he had been out of work for months, he had to ask for help from his relatives who are already suffering themselves from the drought-depressed economy.

“My savings are finished. These days we get one meal at most, unlike before when we used to enjoy three meals a day,” Abdifatah complained.

Mohamed Nur Hassan, chairman of the boat owners’ cooperative association, told Radio Ergo that half the boat owners and boat workers on the river have moved to big cities like Jowhar and Mogadishu seeking help from their relatives. Those remaining in Maagay were trying to get other work such as in building.

Source: RadioErgo