Together with the organization “Menschen für Menschen”, we are currently implementing a project for the sustainable supply of drinking water in a small rural town in Ethiopia. Our project partner has been working in Ethiopia for decades and therefore has a lot of experience and contacts in the country. This project is being funded by the state of Salzburg with € 300,000.
Originally, the project was to have been implemented in the small town of Bake Kelate (approx. 30,000 inhabitants) in the Abune Ginde Beret region in the West Shewa zone of the Oromia region. Due to the activities of armed insurgent groups in the region and the resulting security problems, the project could not be launched there.
The supply of drinking water is one of the most pressing challenges facing people in many small rural towns in Ethiopia. A lack of access to clean drinking water has an impact on health, educational opportunities and the economic development of entire settlement areas. In order to be able to make a timely contribution to the people of Ethiopia, an alternative project location for our aid was sought together with our project partner and found in the small town of Busa.
The small rural town of Busa is also located in the Oromia region, around 95 kilometers by road to the southwest of Addis Ababa. The population of Busa is currently around 30,000 and will continue to grow in the coming years. According to official figures, only just over half of the inhabitants have access to an old water supply system. However, the existing supply system is extremely unreliable, has damaged pipes, low water storage capacity and the already inadequate supply infrastructure is defective and in some cases not operational. As a result, many people have to rely on unprotected water points in the wider area around the city every day to supply their own families. In addition to the health consequences of consuming the often contaminated water, the inhabitants of Busa have to invest a lot of time and effort in fetching drinking water for their families every day. This task is mainly carried out by women and girls. The loss of time is therefore often at the expense of the personal development of the small town’s female population. Our aim is to create a sustainable solution to the above-mentioned problems through the municipal water supply.
The project started in February 2023. Two deep wells, with depths of 200 meters and 186 meters respectively, were constructed. Detailed measurements of water pressure for the sustainable long-term use of the available drinking water showed that the water tanks can be filled at a rate of up to 30 liters per second.
By mid-October 2024, the local construction company had largely completed the planned five public water wells, the two shower facilities, and the generator and guard houses at the two deep wells.
The excavation work for approximately 20 km of pipelines to be laid in Busa was completed, with active participation from the local community. Originally, it was planned that the people would perform the digging themselves. However, since the soil is so hard that this was impossible by hand, the residents of Busa pooled funds to hire a construction company for the work. The pipeline installation was completed in 2025.
Currently, the two water reservoirs, each with a capacity of 160 m³, are being constructed. To generate the necessary water pressure for the distribution systems, both reservoirs are being built at an elevated height.
We will keep you updated on the project’s progress here. The finalization of the construction work is planned for 2026. (Some photos are courtesy of Menschen für Menschen.)
The following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are being promoted with the help of this project:
Together with the organization “Menschen für Menschen”, we are currently implementing a project for the sustainable supply of drinking water in a small rural town in Ethiopia. Our project partner has been working in Ethiopia for decades and therefore has a lot of experience and contacts in the country. This project is being funded by the state of Salzburg with € 300,000.
