Puntland, Somalia – Authorities in Puntland have launched a groundbreaking drone-mapping mission to protect flood-prone communities in Qardho. The Information Management Center of Water and Land Resources (IMC Puntland), in collaboration with FAO’s Somalia Water and Land Information Management (FAO SWALIM), began aerial surveys this week covering nearly 200 square kilometers of vulnerable terrain.
The initiative is part of the Sustainable Community Integrated Watershed Management (SCIWM) project, funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) in Nairobi. Using high-resolution imaging drones, the team is collecting precise topographic data that will feed into advanced flood modelling and watershed management systems.
Qardho has endured repeated flash floods in recent years, with sudden torrents destroying homes, roads and markets, and forcing families to rebuild their lives time and again. For residents, the mission offers a rare sense of anticipation — that this time, action is being taken before the waters rise.
The mapping outputs will guide urban drainage designs, riverbank reinforcement and long-term resilience planning. Local authorities plan to use the resulting models to inform not just emergency response measures, but also future infrastructure development across the wider watershed.
Curious residents gathered to watch the drones ascend over Qardho’s dry plains, some cheering as the machines disappeared into the sky. For many, the sight represented more than just a technological milestone — it was a signal that their vulnerability was finally being treated with urgency.
Once the surveys are complete, specialists will generate 3D terrain models and risk maps to be shared with government agencies and humanitarian partners. Officials hope the effort will serve as a blueprint for other climate-threatened towns across Puntland.
In a region where a single storm can erase years of progress overnight, the ability to foresee the path of water could prove transformative.