Now, Beledweyne, the capital of the Hiiraan province in Hirshabelle, is once again submerged in flood water after River Shabelle burst its banks.
"Beledweyne was the victim of major flooding by Shabelle River bursting its banks in 1961, just months after Somali regions gained independence from Italy and Britain in 1960," he said.
Elmi said that over the last few decades, Shabelle River--almost unfilled during dry seasons--had flooded many times and that authorities should have acted long ago.
Since the river is not very deep, "it is prone to flooding as the amount of water streaming through increases, especially during the rainy seasons," he added.
Engineers and technicians from the Ministry of Public Works in Mogadishu say they need at least $6 million to excavate and build a canal that can deviate a significant amount of water before the river waters reaches the northern outskirts of the town.
