Last Saturday when the cock crowed I got up and headed straight to the main gate of Addis Ababa City Administration to join a crew of journalists and tourism officials, waiting for me to go to Dendi district with the intention of paying homage to Dendi and its Caldera Lake. All of us were looking forward to reaching the locality. We were extremely excited. After we spent sometime in the capital we set off our journey accompanied by the smiling sunshine.
As the road leading to the West Shewa zone had been full of traffic, our journey began at a snail’s pace. It was as slow as a tortoise trek for some kilometers. But I did not pay much attention to the slow journey seeing that an elderly occupant of our vehicle who was born and raised in Dendi district was putting in the picture spectacular stories pertaining to the ancient Ethiopia.
As he was humorous he was capable of making people split their sides with laughter over and over again. Almost immediately, I failed to remember about the traffic jam and got myself fully involved in the story. I was lending my ears with full concentration. All the team members in the car were shaking their sides with laughter. To everyone’s surprise, the elderly person was on familiar terms with the inside out of Ethiopian history.
I would say, he is a movable library. He was explaining the whole lot in black and white for the most part about ancient Ethiopia and Ethiopians solidarity. In our times we lived mixed like milk and water!” I went far deep in thought for the reason that I was completely immersed in the story.
All the roads leading to West Shewa Zone were bedecked head to foot with attention-grabbing landscapes. Without exaggeration, they have the capacity of melting anybody’s heart at the drop of a hat. Above and beyond, the locality is encircled from tip to toe with attention-grabbing chain of mountains.
All the team members involved in the visit were taken by surprise as they did not expect they would come across such earthshattering and attention-grabbing God-given gifts. After seventy seven kilometers drive, we arrived in Genchi. Later than we had breakfast at the hotel of the Ethiopian athlete, Abebe Dinkesa, we went straight to Dendi Lake.
Though it is located within touching distance from Ginchi, the rocky road leading to the area was giving a hard time. As such was a pain in the neck. In next to no time, I realized the fact that not much attention was given to the road sector.
All the team members were caught on the hop considering the majestic landscape. The area melts everybodys heart in the blink of an eye. Almost immediately, I realized the fact that the zone is a back water of development.
When I arrived at Dendi Lake, I could not believe my eyes. The whole lot was beyond my imagination. I did not expect I would stumble upon such an eye-catching lake putting itself out of sight in the heart of the zone. As the lake is beyond description, it gave energy and brought pleasure after a short time.
Honestly speaking, I have been to different parts of Ethiopia with the purpose of visiting the various historical attractions of the country. But when I came across the Dendi Lake, I could not accept such a gem in the forest is found in Ethiopia. I thought I was in another planet.
I really felt pity why pertinent bodies failed to bring this lake to media limelight so that the lake draws local and international tourists. Not paying much attention for such huge resource is nothing less than a sin.
As a matter of fact, the West Shewa Zone is surrounded by Guder fountain, Ambo hot spring water, Gedeo forests, forty-eight tourist destinations, among others. The zone is enclosed by beautiful mountain chains. By the way, famous Fitawrari Habte Giyorgis Dinagde was born in Dendi district, was a member of the Chebo people in a mixed Amhara, Oromo and Gurage family.
He had lineage from Jibat and Macha in Shewa positioned in the present day Oromia State. Back to the gist, the Dendi Caldera is positioned on the Ethiopian flat terrain, just about eighty six kilometers southwest of the capital.
More to the point, it is an outsized volcanic hollow for the most part one fashioned by a key explosion bringing about the disintegration of the opening of the volcano. Dendi Lake can be reached by a wide array of roads. For instance, the lake can be accessed from the capital city via Ginch. As a matter of fact, Ginich is seventy-seven kilometers far from Addis Ababa.
Besides, it takes twelve kilometers from Ginchi to the Lake apart from taking nine to eleven kilometers from Boda to Dendi. All and sundry in the area were stunned by the dazzling view as well as outstanding natural site of Dendi which wins the hearts and minds of everyone with no trouble and after a short time.
Furthermore, the mouth of the lake, which also the feet of the mountains, is enveloped by rolling grasslands. The greenery adds grandeur to the scenery and makes the lake one of its kind natural tourist site in the continent of Africa.
Dendi Caldera takes account of silica-rich volcanic rock. It is made of insufficiently shared residue exploitation at some stage in the Tertiary Period.
Likewise, two shallow lakes just about eight kilometers with average four kilometers have been formed within the innermost depressionimage center, which in black and white highlights radio drainage prototype encompassing the bits and pieces of the Dendi volcanic funnel. According to sources, the major part of the volcanic rocks in the area is basalt. A wide spectrum of silicarich rocks like quartz and feldspar has been accessible in the area.
In fact, there is no historical record of volcanic eruptions at Dendi but the rim of caldera, noticeable in astronaut photography, is typically made of inadequately merged ash exploded at some point in the Tertiary period. Gezehagne Gizaw is a resident of Dendi district. He was the chairman of the Kebele for quite a lot of years.
He said pertaining to the Dendi Lake, “In the past, a wide-array of successful researches had been carried out by the Addis Ababa University. As the locality stops short of infrastructural facilities, the inhabitants have not been able to secure benefits out of the Dendi Lake.
He kept on saying, “Words fails me to express the beauty of the lake. We cannot find this kind of attentiongrabbing lake anywhere in Ethiopia. By its very nature, it is a unique one. It is God’s gift to Ethiopia. It steals anybody’s heart in the blink of an eye.
Though I left no stone unturned so that pertinent bodies smooth the expansion of infrastructural facilities in the area, all my efforts went for nothing. The situation is really heartbreaking. As ill luck would have it, much attention has not been paid to this awe-inspiring lake yet.”
“If concerned body had attached significance to the infrasctrual developments, the inhabitants of the area would have harvested the fruit of success. Sorrowfully, nobody was in the position to lend me ears except coming up with an assortment of lame reasons. ”
he added. He further stressed that at some stage in the Derg regime the area was a dense forest mostly covered by pine trees. But after EPRDF took power, the whole thing lost its shape and form in a little while.
The district really needs a lot of care to be taken of in a bid to improve the lives of people of the area and make the lake known throughout the country. If all work hand in glove, it is possible to make the area the hub of tourism in next to no time. He continued, “I do hope the state of Oromia should do something which takes the district to the helm of success in a jiffy. Though a range of people gave their words to get to the bottom of the problem, they could not rise up to their pledges.
We have constructed a gravel road with our own expenses. Whenever we ask concerned bodies, they always associate the problem with budget over and over again. We are not taking care of the Godgiven resource at this point in time. Everyone is responsible for the resource which could generate a lot of income. “Even worse, the soil of the area is being eroded from time to time. We do not know what we have to do. The solution is beyond our capacity.
As much as I can, I have made an effort concerned bodies to get to the bottom of the problem but in vain. Though I went to different governmental organizations, I could make the dream of the people of the area a reality. Everybody should stand by our side in this regard. Otherwise, we end up missing the intended target from time to time,” he wrapped up. Back to Addis the crew of journalists vowed to draw attention to the area with news and articles.
Herald March 24/2019
BY ADDISALEM MULAT
