In all corners, the Earth’s quality water supply is depleting due to a combination of various natural and manmade factors. In fact, one million children die daily across the world due to the scarcity of safe drinking water, 2.4 billion people are not beneficiary of sanitation service and 1.7 billion people exist in natural gift water depletion basin areas, as sources indicate. Human activities such as land use and modification, urbanization, human settlement, and other practices associated with rapid population growth are major water degrading factors in Ethiopia. And some 30 percent of communities do not have access to safe drinking water and also 70 percent do not have access to proper sanitation service. The situation is among the major hurdles for nation’s plan of achieving Sustainable Development Goals in water sector in 2030.
Although water is the gift of nature, it requires proper care and protection said Kebede Gerba, State Minister of Water, Irrigation and Electricity during the recently held Water Technology Institute Training Center inauguration that is built by Ethiopian Water Technology Institute in collaboration with JICA and Moroccan King Mohamed 6th Sustainable Development Foundation.
Water, being a unique gift of nature, should be conserved, developed and utilized properly. The solution for water related challenges is conserving and giving care for nature itself, exploring nature based solutions, he said adding, water conservation and care requires concerted efforts of all stakeholders.
Raising the awareness of the society is a crucial component of the water conservation efforts. As to him, the private sector and the general public should participate and collaborate with the government’s effort to develop the water resource and solve water related problems.
According to him, the nation is performing various activities to utilize water resources for safe drinking water, irrigation, electricity, industry, tourism and the likes. Communities are also developing lakes engaging in Environmental Drainage Development System in collaboration with stakeholders.
In earlier years, the development of modern irrigation for sustainable food security as guarantee and supplying inputs for young industries using underground and surface water resource for various purposes were lost opportunities. However, currently the nation is exerting maximum effort and conducting wide study on underground water so as to efficiently utilize the vast potential of its water bodies through developing huge irrigation projects and generating electricity including the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
Ethiopia with its 12 river basins is conserving water resource from pollution and wastage through establishing three basin authorities, designing administration plans, developing its human resource and engaging communities.
According to the State Minister, the Ministry is working engaging several scholars to solve water pollution problems in various areas including Lake Tana Water Hyacinth.
Establishing Water Technology Institute has its greatest role to prevent water from pollution and to make real the process of sustainable water development program, cultivating competent human power in water sector.
The establishment of the training center is critical in producing competent work force in the sector says Zenebe Garadaw, General Director of the Ethiopian Water Technology Institute.
While talking the role of the partner, he said that JICA and Moroccan King Mohamed 6th Sustainable Development Foundation have supported constructing administration buildings, meeting hall, trainees training rooms, students’ dormitories and offering service cars for Institute, he added.
The Ministry is working to outreach the supply of safe potable water and to expand sustainable water development in all parts of the country. To make the effort successful, it needs coordination and participation of the community, and the contribution of the private investors, as well.