Addis Ababa Grapples with Severe

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – A pressing issue looms over the bustling city of Addis Ababa as it faces a critical shortage of potable water. Despite the urgent need to sink wells to address the water provision crisis, identifying suitable sites with potential yields has proven to be a formidable challenge, sources revealed. A recent report by the Amharic Weekly Reporter highlighted the difficulties, quoting senior officials who expressed concern about the city’s struggle to secure its own fresh water supply.

The report emphasized that areas, particularly those known as Jommo and Furi, which were identified as having abundant groundwater yields, have unfortunately been repurposed as garbage dump sites. This mismanagement of potentially valuable water resources has exacerbated the city’s water scarcity, creating a dire situation for residents.

Zerihun Abate, the Engineer and Manager of the Water and Sewerage Authority of Addis Ababa City administration, lamented the lack of suitable sites for sinking wells to tap into groundwater. He pointed out that sites initially reserved for crucial water projects have been diverted for other purposes due to the absence of a clear land-use policy.

According to the authority, unless the city secures an additional 200,000 cubic meters of water daily, it is poised to face a severe shortage in the coming years. Addis Ababa currently requires 1.2 million cubic meters of potable water per day, while the current production is limited to a mere 725,000 cubic meters. The looming deficit of 200,000 cubic meters daily threatens to exacerbate the already critical water shortage.

Zerihun warned about the gravity of the situation, emphasizing that even a single day of water cut at crucial locations such as the National Palace or the Airport would tarnish the country’s image. The shortage is not only a local concern but has broader implications for the city’s overall infrastructure and reputation.

As it stands, the city relies on 230 water wells to serve its entire population. However, this falls significantly short of meeting the needs of the entire metropolitan area. To address the water scarcity issue, the Gerbi water project has been approved, providing hope for a new source of water for Welmera. Another project in progress is the Chiquala water well development, set to yield 100,000 cubic meters of fresh water for the city if completed by the stipulated time in the Ethiopian calendar year 2018.

The urgency of completing these projects cannot be overstated, as failing to meet the deadlines would exacerbate the already precarious water shortage. Zerihun underscored the importance of delivering 200,000 cubic meters of water to the city’s system, emphasizing the potential dire consequences if this critical milestone is not achieved.

In a related development, the Weekly Reporter hinted at an unpublicized increase in water fees in Addis Ababa, raising concerns about the financial burden on residents in the face of the growing water crisis. The triple-fold rise in water fees adds another layer of complexity to the challenges the city must navigate in its quest to ensure access to a sufficient and sustainable potable water supply for its burgeoning population.