THT-The Minister of Public Works Hon. Abdilahi Abokor has announced that entrance and exit roads will be cleared inside Waheen Market, in collaboration with the Hargeisa Municipality.
Speaking to the media in his office yesterday afternoon, Hon. Abokor said lessons learnt from the Waheen market disaster and that of Wajale town fire in 2018, led to the development of urban planning in Somaliland cities.
“The plan for Borama town includes the establishment of nine small markets,” he said.
Minister Abdillahi described the scale of the fire in the capital, Hargeisa, as very large. Ministry engineers who inspected the magnitude of the fire damage yesterday morning found it had destroyed 9.5 acres.
He said the biggest obstacle to the spread of the fire was the closure of nine roads inside the market, both entrance and exit, resulting to no access to the market to extinguish it by the fire fighters, which resulted in demolishing some structures to get through.
Minister Abdillahi described it as unfortunate yesterday, a mourning day for Hargeisa, and Somaliland folks. He decried oppositionists blaming the government for not doing enough to help whereas the government has put all its efforts on how to contain and save lives of the public.
He said the money the President declared was a first phase; and as for drought relief government announced one million, for the 1st phase, but later increased up to 5 million dollar.
He said politicization of the tragedy that befell the nation is not good.
Minister Abokor’s speech follow the order yesterday morning President directed to Public Works and Locals government to streamline city planning.