Investing in IWRM for sustained access to Water and Sanitation

About 1.3 million inhabitants of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, are dependent on two reservoirs located at 32km from the city. These reservoirs are fed by the Upper Great Akaki (UGA) Sub-Catchment, which is increasingly affected by land degradation, rapid urbanization, and inadequate water management practices. This area faces immense pressures from accelerated population growth, with urban areas like Burayu and Sululta growing at rates of up to 20% per year. Current water resources struggle to support this demand, leading to water scarcity and poor sanitation infrastructure.

Through a Water Operator Partnership (WOP), VEI has been providing technical support to Addis Ababa Water and Sewerage Authority (AAWSA) and the Oromia Water and Energy Resource Development Bureau (OWREDB) since 2019 to stimulate conservation initiatives aimed at improving the reliability and quality of water supply.  The project had a budget of € 9.016.025 million, contributed both by the Embassy of the Netherlands, VEI and the participating utilities (AAWSA and OWREDB).  The project began with a baseline study conducted by Acacia Water to assess the sub-catchment’s biophysical and socio-economic conditions. These findings were refined by a team of government experts to develop an IWRM Intervention Development Plan, which will guide sustainable water management and conservation practices through December 2025.

This study concluded that the water supply sources in the UGA sub-catchment are being confronted with land use changes and associated cost increase of water treatment and reduction in reservoirs live storage capacity. Major land use changes in the catchment, population increase, urbanisation and emerging industries are some of the main factors that contribute to this.

These pressures are interconnected and amplify one another, ultimately causing problems for the water supply system of Addis Ababa as well as for the population living in the catchment area. Because of this interconnectedness, the problems require an integrated and holistic approach which embraces both the conservation of natural resources and the socioeconomic conditions and livelihood of the population living in the catchment area.

The project’s strategy is anchored on four pillars. It fosters trans-regional dialogue among essential stakeholders - AAWSA, OWERDB, the Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy, the Basin Development Authority, and the Environmental Protection Authority - to coordinate catchment management practices. Second, it implements IWRM interventions through Soil and Water Conservation (SWC) and Sustainable Land Management (SLM) activities, aimed at stabilizing soil, reducing erosion, and protecting water resources. These include a tree planting campaign, physical soil and water conservation activities, and the treatment of gullies with gabions and gully side reshaping and plantation.  Third, the project supports livelihood improvements by promoting alternative income sources, incentivizing conservation efforts, and enhancing food security. Finally, it seeks to enhance water and sanitation services for the catchment’s 125,000 residents, encompassing both rural and urban populations.