Despite the significant progress made, in Ethiopia, land degradation remains a serious problem, per capita water availability is declining, agricultural productivity is very low, and food and nutrition insecurity is chronic in many parts of the country. Access to energy and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) services is still insufficient, water pollution is a growing problem, and climate change presents a formidable challenge that affects all sectors. However, Ethiopia is rich in water and renewable energy resources, which could offer great opportunities to increase agricultural productivity through expanded irrigation, reduce poverty, improve health, and boost domestic and commercial productivity through better access to clean water and sanitation services, while also generating energy to meet the growing domestic and export demand necessary for economic growth.
A better integrated water resource management approach could have a significant impact on small-scale agriculture — which accounts for about 90% of national agricultural production — and on local environmental resources, supporting employment and livelihoods for the rural population. Currently, small-scale agriculture relies on rainfall and suffers from poor levels of water resource integration and inadequate allocation systems. The result is low crop and livestock production, with significant fluctuations tied to rainfall patterns, leading to widespread food insecurity, malnutrition, poverty, and land degradation.
The 10-year Water and Energy Development Plan aims to accelerate sustainable water management and river basin development, making drinking water and sanitation accessible to all citizens and promoting the development of irrigation to increase production and ensure food security. Sustainable and equitable water resource development is crucial for Ethiopia’s economic growth and poverty reduction. The Awash, Webi Shebele, and Danakil basins are under significant pressure due to population growth and socio-economic demands, resulting in water insecurity. Basin Development Offices (BDOs) have been established to manage these resources sustainably, but they still face challenges such as poor knowledge of water resource availability and usage, water quality deterioration, sedimentation, and ecosystem degradation due to overgrazing and unsustainable land management. Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) is an approach that “promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land, and related resources to maximize economic and social welfare equitably without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems.”
In this context, the European Union funded a project, with the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) as the implementing partner, to improve integrated water resource management in the Webi Shebele, Lower Awash, and Danakil basins, helping to improve drought resilience and reduce vulnerability to climate change. The intervention is coordinated with the BASRINET program, supported by AICS, and with the initiative proposed by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN) in the Upper Awash, Abbay, Rift Valley, Omo Gibe, and Takazie basins. AICS selected CIMA Research Foundation and the National Research Council (CNR) as scientific and technical partners.
CIMA Research Foundation’s contribution
CIMA Research Foundation aims to strengthen institutional capacities at the federal, basin, and sub-basin levels through the provision of advanced monitoring infrastructure, forecasting tools, and planning skills for integrated water resource management in the Awash, Webi Shebele, and Danakil basins, complemented by learning visits and outreach activities to promote efficient and sustainable water resource management by regional and local authorities in the target basins.
On behalf of AICS, we carry out activities in close coordination with the Ethiopian Ministry of Water and Energy (MoWE) and the Basin Development Offices (BDOs) of the target basins, relating to:
- Water sector policy and administrative management;
- Water resource conservation (including data collection);
- River basin development.
Specifically, we provide scientific and technical assistance to AICS through:
- Implementation and calibration of a distributed hydrological modeling system for short-term and seasonal impact-based forecasts for riverine floods and droughts in the three target basins;
- Support for the modernization of the hydro-meteorological network using the Acronet paradigm;
- Support for river flow measurements and environmental surveys using drones;
- Creation of a monitoring room to visualize and integrate near real-time hydrological data from multiple sources and a dashboard for water resource management (e.g., MyDewetra.world platform) to ensure interoperability among observations, forecasts, and GIS data;
- Capacity building and training in all the above areas.
