Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Lake Koka, found within the Ethiopian Rift Valley, is an artificial lake built in 1960 in order to generate hydroelectric power. Since then, it has been serving in parallel not less than 15,000 local people as source of water for drinking, cleaning, animal watering, recreation, irrigation, fishing, etc.

Basin wide unisectoral development, uncoordinated uses and management practices, lack of transparent and efficient regulatory institutions, through adequate policy and legal frameworks, uncontrolled human interactions with the ecosystem etc. have all led to the rise of a huge social and environmental problem, i.e. pollution of Lake Koka. This has consequently been adversely affecting the local people, whose livelihoods are entirely dependent up on the existence and continuity of the lake, and its ecosystem that something urgent needs to be done in order to curb the trend and create a convivial future.

Therefore, this study aims at analyzing and understanding the issue from the views and perspectives of different stakeholders, including the institutional contexts, and thereby initiates change for improvements. Soft System Methodology (SSM) was opted as method of dealing with such socially triggered complex and unstructured set of environmental problem so as to foster learning and knowledge development while appreciating the methodology
The study tries to address the existing challenges of using and managing the lake with the help of SSM and approaches of Integrated Water Resource Management(IWRM) by seeking answer to the major research question: ‘given the existing condition of the lake Koka and the livelihoods of the local communities, which aspects of the Lake’s integrated management offer opportunities for bringing about improvements and leading to restoration of the lake, and what desirable and feasible actions could be implemented?’’

Accordingly, the study revealed that, despite its limitations, there are considerable lacks of institutional coordination, environmental awareness and stakeholder participation. For this, a more sustained intervention of bringing coordination and collaboration among different stakeholders and actors, improving transparency and environmental awareness, fostered stakeholder participation, and effective local management, through empowerment of the local community, etc. are considered both desirable and feasible integrated aspects of the Lake Koka. This will subsequently lead to improvement and restoration of the Lake which will ultimately benefit both the community and the ecosystem. Otherwise, if the trend continues it is expected that the Lake will be in a condition to reach at its worst level that it can no longer support the different uses, especially for the local community.