Solid Waste Mapping

The Solid Waste Mapping project in Mogadishu is a targeted sub-component of the Somalia Urban Resilience Project Phase II (SURP-II),ⁱ jointly supported by the World Bank and the Federal Government of Somalia.¹ The initiative is designed to diagnose Mogadishu’s existing solid waste management (SWM) system across 17 districts and pilot data-driven interventions that strengthen municipal capacities to deliver improved waste services in fragile and conflict-affected contexts.²

The project’s vision is to “enable resilient, efficient, and health-protective urban waste services in Mogadishu by equipping local authorities with reliable, real-time information and practical intervention models.”³ Its main aims are to:⁴

• Identify and map gaps in collection, transfer and disposal infrastructure and operations;
• Locate illegal dumping hotspots and priority areas for remediation;
• Provide local authorities with actionable data to inform policy, planning and service delivery;
• Pilot scalable improvements in waste collection and landfill management that build institutional capacity and support SURP-II’s objectives.

To achieve these objectives, the initiative combines geospatial analysis, participatory research and field validation. Key components include:⁵

• Satellite and drone imagery digitization to generate high-resolution baseline maps of waste sites and infrastructure;
• Focus group discussions (FGDs) across all 17 districts to capture community practices, perceptions and concerns;
• Key informant interviews (KIIs) with governance actors to understand institutional roles and constraints;
• Field visits and mobile data collection to ground-truth mapped features; and
• Data integration and mapping to produce outputs such as site maps, hotspot analyses, and priority intervention lists that guide targeted investments and operational improvements.

The project is delivered through collaboration among multiple stakeholders: the Benadir Regional Administration (BRA) acts as the lead local authority, facilitating community engagement and overseeing implementation; the Federal Government of Somalia provides national coordination and policy alignment; the World Bank supplies financing and technical guidance;⁶ the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team and OSM Somalia support geospatial mapping, digitization and local capacity building;⁷ technical consultants and mapping specialists deliver field assessments, drone-based mapping, and infrastructure analysis; and local communities and civil society organizations ground-truth mapped data, document informal practices, and lead outreach and behavior-change campaigns.⁸