BY TSEGAY HAGOS
Ethiopia boasts amazing ecological system that contains all types of climate zones, astonishing topography, various animal and plant species. Among the astounding blessings of the nation are found crater lakes.
Regarding crater lakes, the town of Bishoftu, situated in the northern part of Oromia State has several crater lakes that would be used for entertainment, fishery and irrigation.
According to the book entitled Crater Lakes in Ethiopia written by Mulugeta Abebe, there are more than fifteen crater depressions around the town of Bishoftu, out of which only five filled with permanent water.
One of these dry depressions was later filled by diverting the Wodecha River (tributary of the Mojo River) to form an artificial lake called Kuriftu which is being used for entertainment and irrigation.
The Bishoftu crater lakes were formed as a series of volcanic explosion craters in the vicinity of the town of Bishoftu locate 42 km southeast of Addis Ababa at an altitude of around 1950 m.a.s.l.
There is also another small crater lake called Ziquala located around 15 km east of the town of Bishoftu filling the circular vent of the magnificent mount Ziquala at much higher altitude.
Excluding the non-crater Chelekas swamp, the main Bishoftu crater lakes are Hora (Hora-Arsedi or BeteMengsit), Bishoftu, BishoftuGuda (Babogaya or Pawlo), Hora-Hado, Hora-Kilole (Arnegudae) and Kuriftu.
Mesfin Kebede who made a research on Bishoftu Crater Lakes tells that the main source of water for Bishoftu crater lakes comes from precipitation and surface runoff from their small catchments. Groundwater is likely to contribute a lot to some of them as well.
According to Mesfin, Lake Hora Arsedi (Hora) unlike the lakes is made of a juxtaposition of two craters. At the junction between the two craters, the lake has a depth of 12 m compared to the depth of 40 m on the western and 26 m on the eastern side. It is the oldest known lake in the area.
‘‘Lake Hora Arsedi is a very-much blessed lake in the area. It has several breathtaking attractions including amazing bird species and cultural festivities like Irreechaa (Oromo peoples’ thanksgiving ceremony) and other biodiversity. It entertains domestic and foreign tourists,’’ he explains.
Another very interesting lake is Bishoftu Lake. It could be noted as the deepest lake in the area with 87 m maximum depth. The scenic beauty attracts many local and
foreign tourists every year. Mesfine said that the beautiful rocky steep slopes and the presence of resort hotels at the crater rim attracts tourists and many people from Addis Ababa, other parts of the country and the world.
Lake Bishoftu Guda is slightly smaller than Lake Hora-Arsedi but much deeper with a maximum depth of 67 m. It is located some 4 km northwest of Hora, the lecturer points out. “There are resort facilities around the lake. As compared with lake Hora-Arsedi and Bishoftu, Lake Bishoftu Guda is less affected by human activities,” as to him.
Lake Hora-Kilole is located 9 km south of Bishoftu. It is a shallow lake encircled by a mountain ridge to the west and open on the eastern side. A lot of birds flock around the lake.
The other popular lake in Bishoftu town is Lake Kuriftu. It was created after filling a dry crater by diverting flowing river. It is very close to Lake Babogaya. It has fresh water. Fish and aquatic birds like ducks and geese are common.
The Lakes have created ample opportunity for launching resorts and hotels. Resorts such as Babogaya and Kuriftu are among the many resorts being built around the crater lakes. Lij Daniel Jote Mesfin is the owner of Babogaya resort built 30 meters far from Lake Babogaya. He said that his resort is pioneer in the resort and recreation business in the Bishoftu town.
“Babogaya was built in 2004. The resort has been playing pivotal role in enhancing the tourism sector of the area. We’ve been serving our domestic and foreign customers in warm hospitality and fair price,’’ Lij Daniel states.
To sum up, Bishoftu is an amazing town endowed with magnificent topography and incredible aquatic blessings. The hotels and resorts being built there are playing pivotal role in developing tourism. Having said this, basic infrastructures should be constructed to attract more tourists. Therefore, the government and pertinent stakeholders should strive to make the town a tourism hub.
The Ethiopian Herald March 24/2021
