About Ethiopia

Water In Ethiopia

One of the major problems that Ethiopia faces is that 78% of the population is without a clean water supply, instead being forced to drink from rivers, streams, lakes and even puddles to survive. These sources are often contaminated and animals can frequently be seen urinating in the same water up stream that people then collect from lower down. The health risks from drinking from an unprotected clean water source are severe, with water-related deaths occurring incredibly often, as well as Ethiopianssuffering from illnesses such as bronchitis, tonsillitis, diarrhoea, vomiting, eye and respiratory infections as well as the deadly malaria on a far too regular occurrence.

A further problem is that even the collection of contaminated water often involves Ethiopians trekking for hours each day. The role of collecting water in Ethiopia is traditionally carried out by women and children, meaning that children often can’t attend school and women risk being raped in rural areas while they carry the water back home.

What makes the situation even more frustrating is that Ethiopia is often referred to as the “green drought” because the landscape is not the parched brown colour that is so familiar in drought situations. Indeed a clean water supply can sometimes be found just metres below the ground but frustratingly, even if the locals dig to collect the water, contamination can still occur. The solution is often simple and involves non-governmental organisations working with the locals to either dig or use machinery to construct a well. The source is then isolated, protected and has small amounts of chlorine added so that fresh clean water can be pumped to the ground usually using a hand-pump. In other situations a spring is found andthis is capped and protected so that fresh clean water can be provided.

The remarkable element of the whole process of providing clean water for Ethiopians is the low cost. Indeed it costs on average just 25p for one Ethiopian to have fresh clean water for 1 year.

Additional information

Addis Ababa is Ethiopia’s capital and home to around 2.7 million residents.  The majority of shops and homes are made from wood and corrugated iron, but despite this poor look most Ethiopian’s take great care in their appearance, with hundreds of shoe shiners dominating the bustling streets. 

Roads are dominated by 12-seater blue vans carrying people to and fro around the city with young lads leaning out of doors, shouting the van’s destination and collecting the 1Birr (5p) or less fare.  It’s not unusual for animals to be wandering the capital’s main streets either, but they certainly have to fight off the numerous street sellers, markets, beggars and shoe shiners for space.

When dusk arrives however, Addis Ababa’s population flock to the array of churches and from 5am Sunday morning they repeat this dedicated move wrapped in white shawls, often struggling to fit inside churches but always spending hours in prayer. The Holy Trinity Cathedral is regarded as the most sacred place of worship in Addis Ababa and is indeed the final resting place of the Emperor Haile Selassie.

In Ethiopians' spare time they like to talk and talk, with politics, religion and sports passionately dominating most conversations. For a country so poor, the majority of its population are so incredibly friendly. Honesty seems to be prevalent too and I was often being found to be given back my pencil, which I had carelessly left lying around.

N.B. The statistics on this page have been taken mainly from 2007 World Bank data. In some instances other sources, including Lonely Planet, have been used. Due to the immense difficulties involved in collecting data from a developing country, some statistics are estimates.