Balcad, Somalia – The Federal Government has unveiled a three-month humanitarian relief program to aid 5,705 families in Balcad district, where droughts and floods have combined to deepen a growing crisis across HirShabelle State.

The initiative, launched by the Commissioner of the National Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA), Mahamuud Moallim, will provide food, clean water, and medical assistance to families who have endured repeated displacement and crop losses.

HirShabelle lies in the Shabelle River basin, an area that has become emblematic of Somalia’s climate vulnerability. Cycles of prolonged droughts followed by flash floods have eroded livelihoods, destroyed farmland, and worsened food insecurity. In Balcad, once a hub of fertile agriculture, swollen riverbanks have swept away crops, while dry spells have left many communities dependent on relief aid.

“The people of HirShabelle are among the hardest hit by climate shocks,” Moallim said at the program’s launch.

“This relief is urgent, but we must also invest in long-term resilience,” the SoDMA Commissioner added.

Climate experts warn that Somalia faces some of the harshest consequences of global warming despite contributing little to greenhouse gas emissions. Rising temperatures and erratic rainfall have left pastoralists and farmers unable to rely on traditional survival systems, driving competition for scarce resources and fueling humanitarian emergencies.

Local authorities say the new program is critical, but insufficient on its own. They are urging donors and development partners to expand investment in flood defenses, irrigation infrastructure, and climate-smart agriculture to reduce future risks.

For families in Balcad, the aid brings immediate relief. Yet without stronger climate adaptation strategies, officials caution, Somalia’s cycle of drought and floods will continue to unravel fragile livelihoods and push more people into dependence on humanitarian support.