This brief lays out options to better monitor and manage groundwater use, and to improve the conjunctive use of surface and groundwater to support sustainability for Addis Ababa’s water supplies.
Ethiopia
Equitable urban water security: beyond connections on premises
This study investigates to what extent urban water security is equitable in a small town in Northern Ethiopia with almost uniform access to piped water services. Development of a household water insecurity index considering issues of quality, quantity, and reliability, demonstrated high spatial variability in water security between households connected to the piped water system.
Gender gaps in sustainable land management and implications for agricultural productivity: Evidence from Ethiopia
This discussion paper looks at whether a large-scale watershed program promoting sustainable land management (SLM) in Ethiopia increases adoption of SLM in male-headed vs female-headed households. Our findings show that the SLM program significantly increased adoption of SLM practices (soil bunds, stone terraces, mulching) in male-headed households but that adoption was centered on jointly owned plots and male-owned plots, with no significant adoption on women-owned plots.
Key stakeholders and actions to address Lake Beseka’s challenges in Ethiopia: A social network approach
This discussion paper uses a social network approach to examine key actors, challenges and sustainable solutions to manage Lake Beseka, Ethiopia. The study suggests that developing multi-stakeholder partnerships or platforms across most influential and most affected actors could foster the development of more integrated solutions that support the different stakeholders in the lake catchment area and the Awash River Basin.
Incentivizing clean water collection during rainfall to reduce disease in rural sub-Saharan Africa with weather dependent pricing
This article proposes a new pricing mechanism for ‘water ATMs’, made possible with pre-payment and remote sensing, where prices adjust during rainy seasons to incentivise the continued use of clean water sources. The authors estimate cost per capita and cost per disability-adjusted life year averted, resulting in values which compare favourably with other water quality interventions.
Negotiating spaces of marginality and independence: On women entrepreneurs within Ethiopian urbanization and water precarity
This research article analyses how women strive for and negotiate their independence through spatiality, and how services, specifically water, affect their ability to develop their business spaces. Using evidence from five studies conducted in the small town of Wukro, Ethiopia, the paper suggests water struggles should be analysed not only through the evaluation of water shortages and unequal geographical sectorization but also through the perspective of ‘water precarity’ (Sultana, 2020).
July–September rainfall in the Greater Horn of Africa: the combined influence of the Mascarene and South Atlantic highs
This climate dynamics research article investigates the relative influences of the Mascarene and South Atlantic highs on July-September rainfall, a key component of Ethiopia’s annual rainfall and source of variability. A covarying region in the Greater Horn of Africa is analysed using CHIRPS observed rainfall and the ERA5 reanalysis.
Soil moisture spatio‑temporal variability under treated and untreated catchment conditions in a fragile tropical highland environment: implication for water security
This research article presents soil moisture variability as influenced by catchment management in the Blue Nile Highlands, Ethiopia. The authors show that improved catchment management can play a critical role in improving agricultural water security in rainfed systems by improving soil moisture availability and storage.
(Re-)orienting the Concept of Water Risk to Better Understand Inequities in Water Security
This research article presents a theoretical framework for embedding water risk in equitable water security considerations, based on analysis of lived water experiences and hyrdosocial drivers in the Awash River basin in Ethiopia.
Assessing the effect of sustainable land management on improving water security in the Blue Nile Highlands: a paired catchment approach
This paper investigates the use of sustainable land management (SLM) practices over a 5 year catchment restoration effort in the Blue Nile Highlands, Ethiopia, analysing run off and soil moisture dynamics. It finds SLM interventions are capable of restoring natural hydrological functionality, and reducing nonproductive freshwater losses.
