BY DARGIE KAHSAY
Though Ethiopia is named as the Water Tower of Africa, its water availability is increasingly declining due to multifaceted factors, mainly due to population growth that leads to high demand, climate variability, high degradation and ecological effects. In addition, most of its annually flowing rivers are trans-boundary Rivers that flow its neighbors and the decreasing of forest coverage affects the water sources of the country, according to Ministry of Water and Energy.
As a highland and mountainous country, Ethiopia is rich in Rivers including the longest River in the World, the Blue Nile and due to this reason, the country is known as “The Water Tower of Africa.” But, the reality is that Ethiopia’s water resources is insufficient compared to the other African countries and its Rivers are trans-boundary Rivers flowing to all of its neighbors. Due to its topography, though it has over 10 annually flowing Rivers, most of them trans-boundary Rivers, Ethiopia has not sufficient underground water reservoir unlike other countries.
In addition to the nature of the Rivers that flow to neighboring countries, due to climate change, increasing demand, land degradation and ecological changes plus declining in forest coverage, the surface water of Ethiopia is highly declining and becoming a serious issue. Minister of Water and Energy of Ethiopia Engineer Habtamu Itefa (PhD) said that the trend of Ethiopia’s water resource attrition is entering “from water scarce to water stress.” He underlined that Ethiopia’s water resource is highly and badly declining and needs a solution.
Minister Eng. Habtamu noted that “We should not call Ethiopia a Water tower of Africa. Ethiopia has not enough water resource and most African countries have adequate water resource compared to Ethiopia.” Ethiopia’s water resource, according to Eng. Habtamu, is surface water and rainfall and its surface water is flowing to its neighbors since almost all its annually flowing Rivers are international Rivers that flow to the neighboring countries. Hence, in the first place, its annually flowing Rivers are flowing to neighboring countries, secondly, even the surface water is declining due to high demand, climate change and ecological changes due to deforestation and other factors.
Due to this reason, For Engineer Habtamu, Ethiopia is becoming among the least water resource countries in African and the nickname that given for Ethiopia as “water tower of Africa” is unrealistic. In addition to the natural factors, population growth and climate variability are contributing to the increasing demand and decreasing water resource availability in Ethiopia, according to the Minister. Hence, he advised that it needs hard work to conserve water resource and utilize efficiently and cooperation for common use of the water resource of Ethiopia during a recent event in Arba Minch.
During a recent event in Arba Minch, organized by Arba Minch University entitled “20th International Symposium on Sustainable Water Resources Development,” Ministry of Water and Energy stated that Ethiopia has a plan to apply integrative water resource management by 2030 so as to reach access to clean water and energy for all its citizens to realize the country’s prosperity. During his opening speech at the event, Minister Habtamu underlined that understanding the seriousness of the issue, the Ministry is taking necessary reform actions including structural and policy reforms for efficient water utilization and proper conservation.
But, without the active participation of researchers in the sector, it is impossible to apply scientific based solutions both in the utilization and conservation of the water resources of the country. Presenting a paper “Ethiopia water resource from scarce to stress”, Engineer Habtamu stated that “in the developing world for every lake or River, there is a center to research and follow its changes” adding it is crucially important to increase researches in water resource of Ethiopia to apply effective conservation and efficient utilization of the increasingly declining water resource.
Water resource in addition to its drinking role has social, economic and political benefit. Furthermore, if properly used; the water resource can change the livelihoods of every household and the country’s economy in general by using simple irrigations for agriculture and to build high dams to produce electricity. Researches in this regard would help to apply appropriate policy and strategy measures, to act timely in conservation efforts and to implement projects in the right place.
“With the traditional way handling the water resource we have, we can’t go far,” Engineer Habtamu underlined that Ethiopia’s water resource is declining much steeper. For him, water demand of the country is highly increasing while the supply is dropping down. “Compared with Ethiopia’s water declining which is steeper, the rest of African countries water resource is flatter, less changes” he added. High population growth, faster rate of degradation that affects the watersheds, ecological changes and even the change in the pattern of hydrology is affecting the water volumes of Ethiopia’s Rivers, for Habtamu.
During a discussion with experts and professional in the sector in Adama recently Water Resource Management State Minister with the Ministry, Abrha Adugna (PhD) on his part argued that to tackle the cyclical drought that hits Ethiopia, it is critical to apply integrated water management and administration so as to expand irrigation, potable water and clean energy to the people of the country. In this regard, different universities of the country are starting giving attention for River Basin Developments.
Arba Minch University President Damtew Darza (PhD), during the Arba Minch event, on his part stated that due to the increasing population growth of Ethiopia, expansion of urbanization and industrialization, water resource is becoming crucial for every sector. Hence, for him, for sustainable water resource development, it is important to wisely use it and must support with scientific researches and recommendations.
For the development of sustainable water resource and effective utilization, higher education institutions should support the sector human resource development, introducing new knowledge and technologies in addition to researches and policy recommendations, he stated.
Dr. Habtamu stressed that scholars and professionals in the sector should know that most part of Africa’s water availability is much better than Ethiopia and Ethiopia is now entering water stress. “We are talking about stress not only scarcity” he said adding actions supported by scientific researches is a timely action to conserve the country’s water resources, effective utilization and proper investments.
According to Minister Habtamu, the pattern and the changes of every River should be researched scientifically. The seasonality of the water volume of the Rivers should be researched which is helpful to take conservation actions and to apply appropriate projects. “Analyzing scientifically the water volumes of Rivers and their seasonal flow is important.” There is significant variability in the volumes and high sedimentation. This should be researched for proper utilization.
“Even though we try to have some dames, they are getting sealed up very fast,” Habtamu noted adding that scientific researches would help us to move forward to break the obstacles. For him, to increase its water resource, Ethiopia is applying different mechanisms including annual water and soil resource conservation by mobilizing the people of the country focusing on environmental protection and from recent years’, Ethiopia’s Green Legacy initiative is part of the country’s effort in this regard. Appropriate policy and strategy actions are also implementing to realize the initiatives.
But, even in the Green Legacy initiative, researchers are important to plant the right plant on the right place to meet the target so as to grow the seedlings. To increase the water resource of the country and for the proper utilization and effective conservation mechanisms, scientists should continue researching and recommending for every developments and implementing projects.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD TUESDAY 5 JULY 2022
