Efforts to contain the recurring floods have completely failed, thanks to corruption. In the past few weeks, there were photo-op meetings at the river showcasing efforts to contain the floods by a few engineers, gudoomiyaha gobolka & others. Placing sand/mud along part of the river's banks, constructing a few meters of low wall with low-grade cement, etc is all they were able to do. The much fanfare $6 million donated by Italy & earmarked for doing something about the floods has already been pocketed.
According to some of the locals interviewed in the video, there's the possibility that Beledweyne is completely abandoned. They have now to contend with water borne diseases, hunger, lack of shelter, etc, in an era of Covid-19, recession and limited income. They have called for the intervention of the FG.
What can be done to help the locals?
On the contrary, the efforts made in recent months have saved the city from being overrun. The levies that broke were pre-existing and the only flooded area is the central depression which amount to roughly about 10% of Beledweyne.
