Review: Groundwater resource potential and status of groundwater resource development in Ethiopia

Mengistu, Haile A.; Demlie, Molla B.; Abiye, Tamiru A.

Review: Groundwater resource potential and status of groundwater resource development in Ethiopia | Revue: Potentiel de ressource en eaux souterraines et état de développement des ressource en eaux souterraines en Ethiopie Revisión: Recursos potenciales y estado de desarrollo del agua subterránea en Etiopía 综述:埃塞俄比亚地下水潜力及地下水资源开发现状 Revisão: Potencial dos recursos hídricos subterrâneos e status do desenvolvimento dos recursos hídricos subterrâneos na Etiópia

2019

Mengistu, Haile A. | Demlie, Molla B. | Abiye, Tamiru A.

The groundwater resources potential of Ethiopia is estimated to be about 40 billion cubic meters. Groundwater has been used as the main source of water supply since the 1970s for the main cities, towns and dispersed rural communities across the country, where provision of reticulated surface-water schemes is often expensive because of initial project construction costs and poor water quality. The exponential growth of the urban population and agriculture-led industrial development have resulted in greater attention to groundwater as the potentially cost-effective water supply source. As part of the growing focus on the use of groundwater, the Ethiopian government is currently implementing irrigation projects. One plan involves nine irrigation projects covering an estimated area of 8,000 ha, being developed on a pilot scale, with 9,000 test wells, 28,000 monitoring wells and 14,657 spring improvements. If this unprecedented Ethiopian groundwater-centred development plan is implemented successfully at such a scale, it is highly likely that its success will persuade other Sub-Saharan developing nations to put in place the necessary policies, regulations and investment for infrastructure and capacity development for exploring, exploiting and managing their groundwater resources.

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