Scarcity and surfeit : the ecology of Africa's conflicts

Scarcity and Surfeit

Table 1: Drought history between 1965 and 1992"

Year

1965

1969

I

I 1983 I 2 million I

Numbers affected

I .5 million

1.7 million

1973

I

I 1984 I 5 million I

3 million

1978

I 1985 I 7.75 million I

1.4 million

1977

The main drainage basins in Ethiopia are the:

Blue Nile [Abbay) and the Baro-Akobo that flow to Sudan and eventually

to the Nile;

300 000

1987

1989

1990

1991

1992

Tekeze-Atbara that enters Eritrea and Sudan;

7 million

2.3 million

6.5 million

6.2 million

-

0.5 million

Wabi-Shehelle and the Genale-Dawa that enter Somalia;

Gibe-Omo that flows south to Lake Turkana (of which there is only a small

and receding part in Ethiopia); and

Awash (which flows in the direction of Djibouti) and the central lakes.

Most rivers in Ethiopia are seasonal, with approximately 70% of the total run-
off occurring during June, July and August. Consequently, the development
of water resources through irrigation and hydropower depends on large stor-
age reservoirs. Dry season flow originates from springs, which provide a con-
tinuous supply for small-scale irrigation. River water contains heavy sediment
loads. Most rivers flow through deeply incised gorges and navigation is inter-
rupted by waterfalls. Thus, access to a large percentage of Ethiopia's river net-
work is difficult.