Somaliland National Water Policy.

The National Water Policy is a national policy with a sectoral approach. The main goal of the policy is to promote the rehabilitation of existing water facilities and construction of new water facilities in order to improve human living conditions through enhanced accessibility, management, and awareness within a context of environmental sustainability.
The rehabilitation, development and sustainable management and use of the freshwater resources of Somaliland will be ensured in an environmentally sustainable and socially equitable manner. To this end, a clean, safe and sufficient supply of water for the domestic purposes will be provided to all persons by increasing the availability of and access to water for drinking and sanitation purposes. Appropriate standards will be established for the use, control, protection, management and administration of water resources.
The participation of communities in the water sector will be promoted through decentralized administration and their involvement in the decision-making processes. In addition, gender equality will be mainstreamed into the development and management of water resources.
The legal and policy framework will be developed for all the public and private activities for monitoring the quality, quantity, equitable distribution, use and management of water resources. Moreover, the roles and responsibilities of relevant the Ministries and public authorities for the investigation, use, control, protection, management or administrative of water resources will be designated. The institutional capacity of the Ministry of Water and Mineral Resources will be improved to ensure that Somaliland's freshwater resources will be developed and managed according to this policy and subsequent legislation and regulation to be developed. The involvement of the private sector will be promoted in the production, distribution and delivery of water services. Information systems will be improved to collect and store reliable data. In order to cope with drought, permanent water sources will be developed, and the installation of additional roof catchment systems will be encouraged. A formal framework will be established by the Government to ensure the suitability and quality of groundwater initiatives at the planning and design stages and to provide the supervision for the operation and maintenance of rehabilitated and newly constructed boreholes and shallows wells. A water quality laboratory capable of conducting the tests, especially in terms of human health, according to recognized international standards, including the WHO drinking water standards, will be established by the Ministry of Water and Mineral Resources. Public awareness will be raised on the protection of freshwater resources against contamination.