Once upon a time, Lake Haramaya, one of Ethiopia’s stunning and renowned lakes, served as a life-giving source for both humans and animals, and it was a sanctuary for a variety of beautiful birds in the eastern part of the country. Recreational activities, marriage ceremonies, and public celebrations were commonly held around the lake.

Now, it is arid land. Children play football, animals graze on sparse grass, and remnants of agricultural practices are evident across the parched lake bed.

Lake Haramaya is located in the eastern highlands of Ethiopia, situated with Haramaya Wereda of Eastern Harerghe Zone, in the Oromia regional state. The watershed is located approximately 505 km from Addis Ababa and 14 km northwest of Harar town. It covers almost 50km. In its heydays, the lake boasted a 14m depth and seven km length, according to Tena Alamirew’s research in 2011.

The lake served as the sole source of drinking water for residents of Haramaya and nearby towns, Aweday and Harer. Additionally, it played a crucial role in supporting agricultural and industrial activities in the region. For over 35 years, the lake sustained the residents of these three towns until it dried up in 2005. 

Research has confirmed that Lake Haramaya dried up due to multiple factors, including over-pumping of the lake and groundwater, environmental degradation, and the impacts of climate change.

Kedir Abdurehman, 37, was born and raised in the vicinity of Lake Haramaya. He fondly remembers swimming in its waters during his youth. Now, standing on the desiccated lakebed, he reflects on the complete loss of the once-thriving lake.

“This place was very wide and beautiful. The lake brimmed with water. We used to swim in the lake. Animals could quench their thirst. Gradually, the volume of the lake’s water dwindled. Finally, vanished entirely in 2005’’ he said.

Kedir, who used to swim in lake Haramaya, standing over the dried land with empathy    

He remembered how people, even those who lived far from the lake, were pumped an unlimited amount of water from the lake

Kedir Abdurehman, local resident, witnesses how Lake Haramaya was beautiful and dried due to human interference.

The disappearance of Lake Haramaya has had a profound impact on the residents of Haramaya Woreda and neighboring towns. Nowadays, residents face significant challenges in accessing water, making it extremely difficult for them to meet their daily needs.

Abdi Mume, 52, who resided near the dried Lake Haramaya, explained in the local language, Afan Oromo, through a translator, how they are struggling to get water.

‘’Since Lake Haramaya has disappeared, we can’t get water easily. Now, we have to dig deeply around 20m to get water. Life becomes very hard’’ he said. 

Abdi understood that Haramaya University was doing something to bring back the Lake, but didn’t know what would happen. He said, ‘’If the university’s effort can bring the Lake, I am always cooperative in anyways’’. 

Haramaya University, one of Ethiopia’s oldest government higher education institutions, is situated near Lake Haramaya. Despite the disappearance of the lake, the university continues to utilize the area as a teaching and learning demonstration site. However, it has faced criticism for its perceived inaction in addressing the loss of Lake Haramaya, particularly given its proximity to the lake and its status as a hub for agricultural research.

In 2012, the University came up with a project which aimed mainly to restore Lake Haramaya. For many, it was unbelievable. Some doubted and some others questioned it. 

Prof. Kebede Woldetsadik, Vice President for Community Engagement and Enterprise Development of Haramaya University, explained about the project. ‘’Seven years back, after various researches have been done, we came up with a project which mainly aimed to restore Lake Haramaya. We believe that if active environmental conservation and restoration works can be done, it is possible to bring back Lake Haramaya’’.

The project needed more than 200m Eth. Br (more than 7 million USD), according to Prof. Kebede. But it wasn’t easy to get the money from national institutions and foreign sponsors. ‘’The stakeholders also can’t contribute any amount of money. Thus, we decide to run the project with our limited budget’’ he said.

The project, entitled ‘’Lake Haramaya Watershed Rehabilitation Project‘, which mainly aimed to restore Lake Haramaya, engaged all stakeholders including the local communities, Oromia region, Harer and Aweday towns. But, the idleness of stakeholders led to the project as one of Haramaya University’s tasks, and opened a new office, ‘An Integrated Lake Haramaya Watershed Development Office’. Eba Muluneh is a technical coordinator at the office and researcher. He said the project contained seven main components. 

“Due to financial constraints, the university was compelled to narrow its focus to just three of the seven components,” Eba explained. “These include soil and water conservation, crop production and productivity, and enhancing product and productivity.”

In 2014, two years after the project commenced, an unexpected result was achieved: Lake Haramaya, once declared dead, began to show signs of life again. Water returned to the dried lakebed, revitalizing Lake Haramaya.

The recovered amount of water accounted for 20% of the lake’s original size, as stated by Prof. Kebede Weldetsadik. He explained, “Our university measured that out of the lake’s total size of 600 hectares, 50 hectares can now be covered by water.”

The result was encouraging for Haramaya University. For the local people, it was like a miracle. The resurrection of Lake Haramaya is celebrated highly by the local people. The celebration of the resurrection of Lake Haramaya didn’t last long.  Within less than a year, the lake is dried again.

Prof. Kebede stated, “The lake’s water can be recovered because there was no human interference around it. People left the area because it was dried. However, when water returns to the lake’s land, they also come back and encroach upon the area, seizing lands and diverting the recovered water for irrigation.”

The number of hands and motor pumps used by local people was nearly 200 and 300, as Prof. Kebede mentioned. ‘’After the lake’s water recover, the number of water pumps increased ten times than earlier. Everyone discharged an unlimited amount of water to grow Khat, a dominant crop, which consumes high amounts of water. Surprisingly, the recovered water didn’t stay for a year. The lake dried again’’ he explained.

There is still hope to bring back Lake Haramaya, according to Eba Muluneh. But he asked for local people’s cooperation. He said that it is impossible to do the watershed works properly while people are settled and doing agricultural activities over and around the lake’s area. ‘’Illegal settlers need to leave the lake’s land, and the area should be demarcated. This is the local administrator’s responsibility’’, he indicated. 

Oromia region, East Harerghe’s Water Resource and Energy office’s head, Abinet Tessema, explained what his office, as a stakeholder, has done. 

‘’We have staged many discussions with the local community members to create awareness. Many of them are pleased to cooperate. But some farmers, who surrounded the lake’s land, claim other agricultural land if they are going to leave the area. This is our challenge that we need to solve’’ he said. 

Furthermore, the officer also disclosed that his office plans to train farmers in alternative income-generating practices suitable for small parcels of land. He also recommends that Haramaya University remove trees that consume excessive water around Lake Haramaya and replace them with native species that can better retain water.

Researcher Eba Muluneh elaborated on the current activities of his office regarding Lake Haramaya watershed rehabilitation. “Currently, our focus is on soil and water conservation efforts, primarily in the upper parts of the watershed. We have selected and planted endemic trees on hillsides, and the results have been encouraging, judging by their survival rate,” he explained.

Referring to his research, which was a part of Lake Haramaya Watershed Rehabilitation project, entitled ‘’ Growth and survival rate of the native tree species of Ethiopia; Olea Africana and Hagenia abysinicca in the degraded lake of Haramaya watershed, Ethiopia‘’, Eba said that endemic trees Olea Africana and Hagenia abyisinicca were preferable because of their survival rate. 

The study indicated that Olea Africana performs well at Damota watershed, accounting for 38% of survival rate followed by Tinike sub-watershed having a survival rate of 37%. Only 29% of the total planted Olea Africana survived at Bachake sub-watershed. Furthermore, about 55.6 % of Hagenia Abysinicca was survived at Damota sub-watershed.

Haramaya University, through the Lake Haramaya Watershed project, has placed significant emphasis on endemic trees. Eba Muluneh explained that the university grows seedlings of these endemic trees to utilize them as the primary rehabilitation trees for the degraded lands of Lake Haramaya sub-watersheds.

However human activities over the dried lake’s land are one of the challenges to the watershed rehabilitation works.  The groundwater is decreasing at an alarming rate because farmers continue over-pumping groundwater. 

If such kind of improper water usage continues, the groundwater may disappear in 2035, according to Eba Muluneh.

Lake Haramaya has been providing drinking water for Harer town, with a population of nearly 150,000, for the past 35 years. The loss of Lake Haramaya highly affected the people of the town. But the region has been blamed for not being supportive as a concerned stakeholder in the project which aimed to restore Lake Haramaya. 

Munib Yonis, the head of the urban unit at Harar’s regional water supply and sewerage authority, argues that there have been no clear directives given to his region or office. However, he confirmed their willingness to cooperate for the success of the project. “We are very pleased to play our part if what is needed is clearly communicated to us. Currently, we don’t know specifically what our role was, and we are not informed about the progress of the Lake Haramaya watershed rehabilitation process as stakeholders”.

In 2015, Dr. Mulatu Teshome, President of Ethiopia then, visited the project area and discussed with the stakeholders, including the local community representatives and researchers at Haramaya University. In his remark, he recommended the immediate need of law related to watershed development. 

But, there was no immediate action.

When we were at Haramaya University for this report, a discussion was held between the local community members, researchers, and law professionals on a draft law of watershed. 

Prof. Kebede Weldetsadik confirmed that the draft law will soon be effective after having discussions with the concerned parties. He wants local administrators’ commitment to apply the law, once it is approved. He also said to overcome the financial problem; the university was going to see other income-generating alternatives.  

Numerous research studies conducted by Haramaya University have indicated the feasibility of restoring Lake Haramaya. However, they have emphasized the necessity of implementing watershed laws to regulate the improper practices of residents that contribute to the degradation of the watershed.

Featured Image: The recovered Lake Haramaya in 2015. Image; from Ethiopian journalist Demoz Yacob

This work was produced as a result of a grant provided by IHE Delft Global Partnership for Water and Development through Water Journalists Africa network.