Spilling Bhd over Water? The Case of Ethiopia 309
and commissions or authorities, though in reality the flow of information,
skills and capacity between the different levels of government is severely
hampered by internal politics and the lack of resources. Lower levels of the
institutional hierarchy, such as the zone, wereda and kebele levels are incor-
porated in decision making to an even more limited degree. Community par-
ticipation in water development and decision making is virtually non-exis-
tent. In addition, there is little evidence to suggest that either the ministry or
the regional governments have incorporated conflict analysis and resolution
within their policies and practices. These issues need to be urgently
addressed in the future as pressure increases to improve the effectiveness of
water development and utilisation increases.
Plans are underway for the construction of 13 power-generating dams and
an irrigation development project covering 590 000 hectares of land through
the joint projects designed by the Nile riparian states. Coordinating offices to
manage and facilitate these joint projects involving Ethiopia, Sudan and
Egypt, will be opened in Addis Ababa. In addition, regional governments are
mobilising resources to expand irrigation.
However, for these schemes to be sustainable, a number of constraints need
to be addressed, including continuing organisational problems within the insti-
tutions responsible for water, as well as the development of appropriate tech-
nology that is sensitive to Ethiopia's varied topography and natural constraints.
But most importantly, the social impacts of water development must be fully
considered and mitigated where possible. Adaptable, flexible and site-specific
strategies are required, and the potential and actual conflicts between different
water users identified. The rights and needs of both upstream and downstream
users must be understood and guaranteed. And local and national conflia pre-
vention and resolution mechanisms need to be incorporated into all aspects of
water development, including international agreements for water use. This
includes ongoing negotiations over the allocation and use of Nile waters.
It should be recognised that conflict can have positive results and should
not be viewed in a completely negative light. Conflict can bring underlying
issues out into the open, and bring parties together for negotiation. Positive,
non-violent outcomes are possible through conflict. in this way, conflict is
transformative. However, this requires a relatively level playing field, which
is in many cases missing, such as in the Awash River Basin. Levelling the
playing field will require difficult decision making to distribute resources
required in negotiation and dialogue more equitably. Decisions to build peace
must be informed and 'fair' in order to be effective. In addition, donors must
increase support to enhance the capacity of federal, regional and local insti-
tutions to undertake conflict prevention and resolution and to facilitate par-
ticipatory peace dialogue at all levels.
This study answers a number of critical questions concerning the linkages
between ecology, environment and conflict in Ethiopia. However, the broader