Citizen science for integrated water quality action

World Water Day 2023: Accelerating change

17 March 2023

The Abbay River cascades down the Nile Fall during the monsoon season; the water is coloured red from soil and sediment collected along it's fast-flowing path

The Abbay River, Ethiopia, during rainy season

Bitew Kassaw and Dessalew Getnet, WLRC

Ethiopia is known as the ‘Water Tower of Africa’. It is a source of transboundary rivers including the Abbay River, the largest tributary of the Nile River. The rivers and water bodies in Ethiopia have diverse features that could greatly benefit sustainable development in the country. However, the potentials are underutilised due to water security problems including shortage, pollution, and poor governance. Clean water is the most common demand of Ethiopians living in both urban and rural areas. The residents of the urban areas have insufficient water for their daily consumption and getting a glass of clean drinking water is a far dream for rural residents. The springs, streams, and rivers in the rural villages are not a source of clean water (a universal human right), but a threat to life due to the prevalence of high pollution and contamination.

The Little Akaki River flows either side of a bank covered in vegetation, and residential and factory buildings — Waste from factories, commercial centres, and households pollutes the Little Akaki River, Addis Ababa

A woman wearing a pink headscarf carries a bucket of water on her back using a fabric wrap, walking through dry grass — A woman fetches water from the river that pollution from Addis Ababa flows into, near to Bole Arabsa Condominium

The river flows away from Addis Ababa, with banks covered in greenery and plants and topped with many residential buildings on either side — Residential areas in Addis Ababa have expanded, increasing water pollution for rural people downstream

High rates of water pollution and contamination are a problem everywhere across the country, but are most hazardous in the Upper Awash Basin, mainly in the Little and Big Akaki Catchments where Addis Ababa – Ethiopia’s capital city – is located. The uncontrolled urbanisation, rapid population growth, and unregulated industrial expansion in the area is a threat to river health and water security. Poor waste management by residents and industries is one of the key water pollution causes in the catchments. Solving this problem requires the joint and integrated action of sectors in government, water, health, and academia.

The river is visibly full of pollution and solid waste as it flows under a bridge and past residential buildings — The Hub team are examining the status of the river health of the Little and Big Akaki

Hundreds of small residential buildings constructed from materials like wood and corrugated metal line and overhang the river, with trees and shrubs scattered among them. The river water looks white and foamy. — Rapid urbanisation and the growth of residential areas have led to an increase in pollution and negative impacts on river health

Large factory buildings are located right next to the river water on top of a walled bank, with some bushes, shrubs and palms scattered on either side of the water — Factories line many parts of the river banks, with waste from industrial processes being discharged directly into the river water

The river water appears brown and murky as it flows under a metal bridge and away from a residential area visible in the distance. The banks are lined with a mixture of green, brown, and red trees, shrubs, and grasses

We are working to address the problem through collaboration and capacity building with stakeholders in the Addis Ababa and Oromia water bureaus, health centres in Addis Ababa, and federal offices (including the Ministry of Water and Energy, Ministry of Industry, and Environmental Protection Authority). For example, WLRC and the Ministry of Water and Energy are working together to build monitoring stations at identified sites along the Little and Big Akaki Rivers.

The Hub are also working with communities to generate water quality data and increase environmental awareness on the ground through citizen science, for example, using the miniSASS tool. MiniSASS is a simple tool that can be used by anyone to monitor the health of a river by collecting, identifying, and scoring the macroinvertebrates found in a sample of the river water. Our data shows that the Akaki rivers are in alarmingly poor ecological state and do not meet the criteria for SDG indicator 6.3.2. This is proving very successful in enabling us to engage schoolchildren in Addis Ababa via extra-curricular Environment Clubs. Through these clubs, schoolchildren assess river health using the miniSASS tool, providing a great opportunity for them to better understand their environment, develop scientific skills, and engage in water security debates.

Four men stand on rocks crossing a river, crouching forwards to look at the sample tray one is holding. One of the other men is holding a net. — A miniSASS training and capacity building workshop with stakeholders and citizen scientists

A mixed group of people gather round miniSASS equipment on a river bank, while one man inspects a sampling spot in the river water. A large water dam is visible behind them. — A miniSASS training and capacity building workshop with stakeholders and citizen scientists

A group of people cluster together on the river bank, watching as one man stands ankle deep and dips a net into the water. The hillside behind is covered in green shrubs and bushes and sandy coloured grasses. — A miniSASS training and capacity building workshop with stakeholders and citizen scientists