Results

A power point presentation giving an overview of fieldwork in the Adidaero Watershed in Enderta Wereda, Tigray Region.

A fieldwork report on community level assessment on the understanding of the existing multiple-water use system, Northern Ethiopia.

Working Title: The institutional environment and the local coping strategies within a MUS system in Legedinini PA, Dire Dawa Administrative Council, Ethiopia

Abstract: The principal study area for this thesis research was the Legedini Peasant Association in Eastern Ethiopia in the Dire Dawa Council, situated in the arid lowlands below 1500m and characterized by degraded land with erratic rainfall and no surface water. The people practice mixed subsistence farming, though cannot be self-sufficient and therefore depend on food aid. End 2002 a borehole for domestic water supply was installed with a submerged pump powered by a diesel generator, plus additional infrastructure. At the same time a nearby spring in the same watershed was developed. Besides the new water system, new crops and innovative methods of irrigation were introduced. All these measures created big expectations in the communities for the future, of being able to produce for the market and move beyond their food insecurity. Indeed these improved infrastructures and new practices brought benefits but also introduced new risks, dependencies and vulnerabilities. The vulnerability of this system became apparent when the pump broke down two years after becoming operational. The selected technology appeared to be too complicated, too costly, and not sufficient imbedded in the institutional framework for this area and therefore not sustainable. The solution for improving rural livelihoods by promoting productive uses of water should be sought in creating other water source options and technologies that are affordable, developing alternative sources of income or accepting the fact that the people will stay dependent on external aid.

Working Title: Two containers a day- the search for proper water sources in Eastern Ethiopia. Water Quality and Sanitation in the Lege Dini Watershed Area, Ethiopia

Abstract: In this research the possibilities of MUS are explored in a case-study watershed; the watershed of Legedini. The health situation in this area was poor. Many people suffered from diseases like diarrhea, vomiting and less frequently malaria. Clean drinking water was available in five out of eleven villages and inhabitants without access to tap water were forced to drink water from contaminated well and ponds. The quantity of water was also not sufficient for all domestic and agricultural uses. This made it impossible for the area to become self-sufficient. Although many NGO’s and other development agencies were active in the area, the aid-service was poor coordinated. The result of this was that although the operating organizations invented good and effective solutions for the water and health problems in Legedini, these were unfortunately not widely adopted. Only the participants of an education program were often willing to change their habits. An annual assembly of development organizations, in which the plans and projects for the coming year would be discussed, would eliminate the communication and coordination problems.

By investigating the water sources, two turned out to be suitable for drinking water. The discharge of these two sources was also sufficient for the whole population of Legedini. Other sources were suitable for livestock and irrigation. The EC-level is rather high for irrigation, but since there is no other source available, irrigators should select tolerant species like tomatoes to grow on their plots. Most farmers mention that they see irrigation and selling cash crops on the market as one of the opportunities towards self-sustainability.

The MUS-approach seems to have positive effects on the health situation in Legedini and contributes to the goal of self-reliability. A healthy environment is the basis for fewer diseases and therewith more manpower for farming and other income generating activities. A threshold for implementing MUS worldwide will be the distance between village and source in the case of ‘multiple sources for multiple uses’. The walking distances for remote villages in order to obtain clean drinking water will be too large. A threshold for ‘multiple uses in one system’ will be the cooperation between ministries of health and ministries of agriculture, which is difficult to establish in a bureaucratic setting.