After nearly two consecutive years of failed rainy seasons, large parts of Somalia are facing an acute water shortage that is hitting rural communities especially hard, eroding livelihoods and raising the risk of a broader humanitarian emergency.

Across drought-stricken regions, women and children now spend hours each day searching for water as wells dry up and prices charged by private vendors surge. The prolonged dry spell has also devastated livestock, the backbone of rural economies, leaving pastoralist families with few options for survival.

In many areas, access to water has become a daily struggle, with communities relying on a shrinking number of wells and expensive water deliveries that few can afford.

"Both people and livestock have been severely affected by the lack of water caused by the drought. We have not seen rain for the past two years. Most of the wells have dried up, and there is an urgent need to rehabilitate existing boreholes," said Cadar Osman Nur, a pastoralist.

Pastoralists say the cost of trucking in water has become prohibitive, forcing families to choose between drinking water and keeping their animals alive.

"The livestock are very weak because there is no water and no pasture. Both people and animals depend on this single well. Even when water trucks come, the water is still not enough,” said Mohamed Harun Adow, another pastoralist.

Local authorities warn that the water crisis is also creating serious public health risks, particularly as people turn to unsafe water sources. At the same time, prices have risen sharply for water supplied by vendors, placing clean water further out of reach for vulnerable families.

"Water shortages are among the biggest challenges we are facing. A drum of water that used to cost between 1.5 and 2 dollars now costs 3 to 4 dollars. A water truck that previously cost 45 dollars now costs between 70 and 80 dollars. Some of the available water is not safe for human consumption, posing serious health risks, but many people cannot afford clean water," said Abdirahman Abdullahi Mohamed, coordinator for Hirshabelle State Humanitarian Affairs.

Somalia's disaster management agency has warned that conditions could deteriorate further, with weather forecasts predicting below-average rainfall in the coming season, raising fears that the drought will tighten its grip on already fragile rural communities.

Edited by CGTN Africa reporter Marion Gachuhi