Djibouti is making moves for its water security after recently securing investment to expand its Doraleh Desalination Plant which will double its output capacity. The investment which was announced last month, comes in the form of a long-term (25-year) European Investment Bank (EIB) loan of €79 million. The project looks promising with the EIB claiming the development will “transform” water security for the nation’s capital.

Background

Djibouti is a country with an unforgiving climate with very little average annual rainfall and no running rivers or lakes. This formerly meant an enormous reliance on groundwater extraction for the country’s inhabitants. Moreover, due to frequent droughts in the Horn of Africa, groundwater reserves quite often dry up and cause significant water stresses. 

Since 2017, the Horn of Africa as a whole has been suffering from drought aggravated by climate change, which has depleted water and food supplies for the likes of Somalia and Kenya. However, it is worth noting researchers emphasize the widespread suffering caused by the drought cannot be exclusively attributed to climate change but also a fundamental lack of preparedness and resilience. Such facts put into perspective the importance of investment in water infrastructure and not purely towards climate change reversal.

In 2017, the Ethiopia-Djibouti Transboundary Project was announced which as the name suggests is a pipeline transporting groundwater from neighboring Ethiopia, the collaboration would provide water for 750,000 people in Djibouti. While experts hail the importance of groundwater as “significant in climate adaptation and resilience-building” such sources are also prone to depletion during periods of drought; an undesirable characteristic for a country like Djibouti. 

The initial construction of the Doraleh Desalination plant in 2021 was a major milestone in improving water security. Aside from its output of 22,500 cubic meters, enough to provide for 250,000 people, with seawater being the source, it allowed a major level of decoupling from unreliable groundwater reserves. The project was part of the Djibouti government’s development strategy, “Vision Djibouti 2035” and was heavily funded by the European Union (EU).

Recent Expansion

Last month’s EIB loan was a continuation of EU support as part of the Global Gateways Investment Package. The investment package has wide and ambitious aims, including “accelerating sustainable growth and decent job creation,” aims that experts believe a strong water supply system can act as drivers for. The EIB has also invested in a desalination plant in Jordan and fast internet connections in remote areas of the Congo and Uganda among other things.

The plant’s expansion also includes the construction of a 12 MW solar plant to power the desalination facility. On top of the eco-friendly aspect of this, it also provides reduced power dependence. Particularly, advantageous considering that Djibouti suffers from an intermittent power supply and sources the majority of its electricity from Ethiopia.

Final Thoughts

The summation of the plant’s output which after the expansion is claimed to provide water for 550,000 people along with the Ethiopia-Djibouti Transboundary Project which was designed to cater to 750,000 will substantially increase water security given Djibouti’s population of just over a million. Jutta Urpilainen, European Commissioner For International Partnerships celebrates the expansion saying, “Today’s project will become a model for best practices in water management across the region.” 

– Sabique Sadique
Photo: Flickr