Insights from an Evaluation of Water Supply Interventions through the Lens of Integrated Water Resources Management Principles in Ethiopia’s Tana Sub-Basin
Authors: The Millennium Water Alliance, Acacia Water, and World Resources Institute
Link to Full Report
Key Takeaways
A new report titled “Investigating the Nexus of Water Supply Interventions and Integrated Water Resources Management: A Case Study of the Tana Sub-basin in the Amhara National Regional State” evaluates the alignment of water supply interventions (WSIs) with Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) principles in Ethiopia’s Tana Sub-basin. This research, led by Acacia Water in collaboration with World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Millennium Water Alliance (MWA) under a WRI project funded by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, explores the nexus of IWRM and WSI initiatives through a literature review, stakeholder mapping, key informant interviews (KIIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs), and a process-based IWRM evaluation.
By aligning WSIs with IWRM principles, synergies could be unlocked that contribute to multiple benefits and a broader range of outcomes. These include optimizing water use efficiency, enhancing water security (including flood protection), social cohesion, cross-sectoral cooperation, and ecosystem health. This integrated approach ensures that interventions address not only immediate water access needs but also the long-term sustainability of water resources and resilience of affected livelihoods.
With the objective of evaluating the existing alignment of 12 different WSIs with IWRM principles in the Tana Sub-basin, the study conducted a literature review, stakeholder mapping, KIIS, and FGDs and applied a process-based IWRM evaluation tool to identify strengths and weaknesses in current water development and management practices. It also sought to evaluate the external environment to determine how it supports or hinders integration and identify gaps in data systems that impact decision-making. The goal is to provide actionable recommendations for enhancing the sustainability and resilience of WSIs while addressing the unique challenges posed by the local biophysical and hydrological conditions.
The results from the study highlight critical gaps in strengthening climate resilience, understanding catchment dynamics, enhancing stakeholder involvement, and improving water quality monitoring and environmental protection considerations. Key gaps identified include:
- Stakeholder Engagement: While strong during the WSI planning phase, involvement of stakeholders, such as implementers, government bodies, and community members, declines significantly during the operation and maintenance stages, affecting the sustainability of interventions.
- Climate Resilience: Water points lack adaptive measures to cope with climate-related events like droughts and floods, impacting long-term water availability and access. Inadequate consideration of the impact of environmental degradation on water supplies requires enhanced efforts to safeguard water resources and advance source protection.
- Functional Sustainability: Many water supply systems break down due to insufficient maintenance and funding, necessitating at minimum a formal tariff system to ensure financial viability.
- Local Capacity Building: Local water, sanitation, and hygiene committees (WASHCOs) play a critical role in maintaining these interventions but need continuous training to effectively manage and maintain water systems.
- Water Quality: Weak environmental assessments and monitoring contribute to poor water quality.
This report also offers recommendations for improving water management practices in the region. Key recommendations include effective multi-sector collaboration and defined institutional responsibilities; land-use planning and soil and water conservation measures; more effective community-based water management systems or professionalized services; rainwater harvesting systems; drought-resistant and climate-adapted infrastructure; a standard tariff payment system; ongoing training for those maintaining these systems; and understanding of catchment dynamics combined with strengthening of environmental monitoring.
Due to the size and scope of this study, only a select number of interventions were evaluated within the Tana Sub-basin, and limitations to this research exist due to the subjective nature of interviews. Future research is needed for integrating measurements and hydrological modeling alongside interviews. Yet, the simplicity of this applied methodology can be leveraged for scaling to other regions and projects and increased understanding of sustainability outcomes based on improved consideration of IWRM principles during planning, implementation, and operation and maintenance stages.
Background
In a world increasingly affected by environmental degradation and climate change, integrated approaches are ever more crucial for ensuring sustainable water sources. IWRM promotes environmental sustainability, maintaining catchment health, cross-sectoral coordination, and protecting water resources, all of which are essential for achieving resilient WASH services while advancing more effective governance and equity aspects. By looking at WASH systems within a broader IWRM framework, interventions can contribute to more positive, system-wide changes that ensure long-term sustainability and resilience.
The Amhara region of Ethiopia, where the Tana Sub-basin is found, faces growing water scarcity and periodic droughts, inadequate infrastructure, and uneven access to sanitation, affecting both urban and rural areas. Key challenges and drivers of these issues include:
- Inadequate management of water resources: Increasing pollution, over-extraction, and the impacts of climate change are challenging the management of water resources in the Tana Sub-basin where seasonal variability is already high.
- Socioeconomic dynamics: Livelihoods of communities in the basin predominantly depend on agriculture, fishing, and small-scale trade as sources of income, so balancing water use for productive activities with the drinking water needs of local communities and ecosystem considerations is urgent.
- Land degradation and deforestation: Intensive farming practices resulting in land degradation and deforestation characterize the Tana Sub-basin area. This puts additional pressure on water resources.
- Water contamination: Agricultural runoff, industrial waste, and inadequate sanitation infrastructure are key contributors to pollution in Lake Tana, causing harmful algal blooms, reduced oxygen levels, and the spread of waterborne diseases.
This report examines how well several existing WSI interventions in the Tana Sub-basin align with key IWRM principles: equity and stakeholder participation; environmental and functional sustainability; and governance and capacity building. The study takes place in the Dera, Farta, and North Mecha woredas within the Tana Sub-basin, a crucial hydrological area in northwest Ethiopia that feeds the Blue Nile River. Lake Tana, Ethiopia’s largest lake, plays a key role in regulating the regional water cycle and providing water for irrigation, domestic use, and hydropower. The region faces significant water management challenges, including droughts, floods, and water contamination from agricultural runoff, industrial discharge, and inadequate waste management. These challenges are exacerbated by climate change, deforestation, and land-use changes.
Methodologies
The study employed a process-based evaluation to assess the performance of 12 WSIs in the Tana sub-basin using an IWRM Evaluation Tool developed for this study. The methodology consisted of:
- Literature Review: A comprehensive review of existing literature provided context about the biophysical, legal, and institutional frameworks within the Tana sub-basin.
- Stakeholder Mapping: Stakeholder mapping was a critical step, identifying key players in the water management landscape. The methodology used an “Influence vs. Interest” matrix to categorize stakeholders into four groups (high influence/high interest, high influence/low interest, etc.), ensuring that stakeholders with the greatest impact on water management were prioritized in the interviews. The mapping covered governmental entities at regional, woreda, and kebele levels, as well as NGOs, academic institutions, and community-based organizations.
- Systematic Sampling: This involved selecting 12 WSIs based on predefined criteria, including water source type, technology used, community size, and implementer type. Interventions were evaluated in terms of their technology, accessibility, and alignment with IWRM principles.
- Key Informant Interviews (KII) and Focus Group Discussions (FGD):
- KII: A total of 36 key informants were interviewed, including governmental workers, implementers, and Water Management Committee (WMC) members. Interviews provided in-depth insights into water management practices, policy implementation, and stakeholder participation.
- FGD: Conducted with 126 community members across 12 focus groups, these discussions provided perspectives from water users, particularly regarding the impact of interventions on water quality, accessibility, and community involvement.
IWRM Framework and Evaluation Tool
The study developed an IWRM Evaluation Tool based on the following three core IWRM principles:
- Equity and Stakeholder Participation: Good IWRM ensures the inclusion of diverse stakeholders—both upstream and downstream in relation to catchment dynamics, public and private sectors, women, and youth—in water management decisions. Equity is a key factor, ensuring the fair distribution of water resources and preventing conflicts.
- Environmental and Functional Sustainability: IWRM emphasizes balancing water use with environmental sustainability. Water replenishment must meet or exceed consumption to ensure sustainable water supply, and water quality must be preserved to avoid negative impacts on ecosystems and human health.
- Governance and Capacity Building: Strong policies, robust institutions, and effective governance frameworks are essential for managing water resources sustainably. IWRM implementation requires the alignment of national, regional, and local policies, combined with the capacity to manage water conflicts and enforce regulations.
The IWRM Evaluation Tool assessed 12 WSIs using indicators derived from these principles. It identified gaps in policy implementation, stakeholder involvement, and environmental monitoring.
Results
The report provided a detailed evaluation of the WSIs based on insights from various stakeholders:
Government Workers: The study found consistency in responses regarding capacity building and conflict resolution. However, there were inconsistencies in policy implementation related to water balance (the equilibrium between the supply and demand of water resources within a specific area), indicating that policies were not uniformly applied across all woredas. For example, one interviewee recalled that water balance was often considered only in the planning phase and not in the implementation phase. Whereas another interviewee highlighted that their experts consider the water balance during licensing as well.
Implementers: While implementers rated the interventions positively, they identified weaknesses in environmental assessments, water conservation, and policy alignment. Environmental monitoring was cited as a major gap.
Communities and WMCs: The communities in Dera reported better water quality management compared to Farta and North Mecha. However, there were notable discrepancies between the responses of community members and WMCs regarding conflict resolution and water quality. In some cases, WMCs reported effective conflict management, while communities indicated otherwise.
Key Gaps Identified and Recommendations
The report concluded that despite Ethiopia’s strong legal framework for water management, there is a significant need for improved coordination, climate resilience, monitoring, and sustainability measures. The key gaps and recommendations include:
- Stakeholder Involvement: IWRM and WSIs are critically linked to equity measures and social participation for sustainability. Although participation among stakeholders, including implementers, government bodies, and communities, was strong during the planning and construction phases of interventions, involvement dwindled during the operational and maintenance phases. Based on observations within the study context, WASHCOs were often left to manage water points with lack of a clear allocation of responsibilities among other institutions and little ongoing support.
- Effective multi-sector collaboration and defined institutional responsibilities: Significant resources should be allocated towards fostering multi-sector stakeholder collaboration during the planning and implementation phases with a particular focus on post-project responsibilities. This avoids the vacuum that can develop after projects conclude due to the absence of a clear division of roles resulting in conflict and deterioration of WSIs.
- Climate resilience and environmental sustainability: Catchments and watersheds are directly dependent on climate and land conditions. Climate change exacerbates rainfall variability, leading to more frequent and severe floods and droughts, which threatens the sustainability of water points. At the same time, land degradation and deforestation impact water availability and quality. Water points were not adequately designed to adapt to these increasingly frequent climate-related events, and there is inadequate attention placed on water balance and conservation practices. Issues include water points often being damaged or filled with sediment during floods along with droughts causing a drop in the water table resulting in water supply shortages.
- Land-use planning and soil and water conservation: Integrating land-use planning and implementing soil and water conservation measures, such as reforestation, sustainable farming practices, and water harvesting, will enhance the climate resilience of water points and the broader catchment area. This dual approach can mitigate both flooding and drought risks.
- Community-based water management solutions: Empower local communities to take charge of water resources by forming water user associations, providing training, and promoting participatory decision-making, ensuring sustainable water use and management.
- Rainwater harvesting systems: Implement systems to collect and store rainwater during wet seasons and improve these systems with filtration technologies and increased storage capacities to ensure water quality and availability during dry periods.
- Smart water management systems: Utilize technology to monitor water levels, usage patterns, and quality in real-time to support decision-making and timely interventions during periods of scarcity or contamination.
- Drought-resistant and climate-adapted infrastructure: Design water supply infrastructure such as pipes, storage tanks, and distribution systems that can withstand extreme weather events, ensuring consistent water supply in the face of climate change.
- Functional Sustainability: Many WSIs break down, are not maintained, or are not able to produce the promised discharge. This could be explained by the observed disconnect between this and the community’s willingness to pay for water services. Even when they were willing to pay, no formal tariff payment system was in place resulting in no resources for maintenance.
- Standard tariff payment system: Introducing a standard tariff payment system could improve the quality and maintenance of WSIs, ensuring a balance between water demand and supply for sustainability. This approach aligns closely with the holistic perspective of IWRM, addressing functional sustainability through financial sustainability.
- Local Capacity Building: Effective capacity building is critical to creating resilience within the (socioeconomic) spheres and ensuring the functional sustainability of WSIs. WASHCOs play a key role in maintaining these interventions, but capacity-building efforts have not sufficiently equipped these committees with the necessary skills and knowledge to further maintain or repair the interventions, resulting in frequent breakdowns of water points and jeopardizing sustainability.
- Enhanced ongoing training: Continuous training programs tailored to the specific needs and challenges that WASHCOs are needed to strengthen local capacity for long-term sustainability of WSIs. This capacity building will not only result in a more skilled labor force but will also benefit the whole system.
- Water Quality: Although community interviews indicated that water quality is not a concern, interviews with implementers and government workers presented a different perspective, which mainly arises because community members may lack comprehensive understanding of water quality. Without evidence of visible contamination, water quality may be deemed sufficient. Additionally, some water points use chemicals for treatment—a practice introduced by the implementers—which highlights the positive impact of capacity development. However, poor water quality should be understood within the larger system context. Without accompanying measures, such as sustainable farming practices, reforestation, or proper sanitation, water quality issues are likely to persist as the underlying causes are not being addressed.
- Understand catchment dynamics: To address these concerns, it is crucial to understand catchment dynamics on both the biophysical scale (e.g., locations of the sources and types of contamination) and the human and socio-economic scale (e.g., why unsustainable farming practices are used, or why people dispose waste in surface water). This broader understanding can help mitigate water quality challenges in the watershed.
- Strengthening environmental monitoring: This study found that environmental monitoring, including water quality assessments done by the respondents, is limited. Effective monitoring is essential as a first step in understanding the system and developing appropriate solutions to address water quality concerns.
Limitations
Due to the size and scope of this study, only a select number of interventions were evaluated within the Tana Sub-basin. Additionally, limitations to this research exist due to a limited number of interviews serving as the primary data source, discrepancies in perceptions of water quality between users and government officials, lack of integrated quantitative data, security restrictions, limited government participation and access to local communities, communication delays, time constraints, and insufficient data availability. The reported scores reflect the perceptions of communities and woreda experts in areas like water quality status, functionality status, and sector integration, and the scores are not compared against a standard or any field-based investigations.
Final Remarks
The study emphasized the benefits of looking at WSIs through the lens of IWRM principles, from planning through to maintenance, to ensure the sustainability and resilience of water resources in the Tana Sub-basin. Future research is needed that includes integrating measurements and hydrological modeling alongside interviews. The simplicity of this applied methodology can be leveraged for scaling to other regions and projects. It will also increase understanding of sustainability outcomes based on improved consideration of IWRM principles during planning, implementation, and operation and maintenance stages.
For additional questions, please contact
- Millennium Water Alliance (MWA): Jason Lopez (Jason.lopez@mwawater.org) or MWA Learning (learning@mwawater.org).
- Acacia Water: Kalkidan Mulugeta (Kalkidan.mulugeta@acaciawater.com)
- World Resources Institute (WRI): Francesca Battistelli (francesca.battistelli@wri.org) and Muluneh Bimrew (muluneh.bimrew@wri.org)
