In Ethiopia, nearly 58% of the population lacks access to clean drinking water. A common response to this crisis has been to drill boreholes—but groundwater is not an infinite resource, and without proper management, overextraction can lead to long-term depletion. At the same time, the country holds an immense yet underutilized water resource: an estimated 122 billion cubic meters of annual surface runoff. The Ethio-Nature project is built on the idea that this runoff can be harnessed—not just for immediate needs, but for long-term sustainability. 

Rather than simply extracting more groundwater, Ethio-Nature seeks to enhance natural recharge processes. Through a unique combination of satellite remote sensing, deep learning, geophysical surveys, and ecohydrological nature-based solutions, the project aims to pinpoint and restore recharge zones in Ethiopia’s Lake Hawassa catchment. In doing so, the project supports more climate-resilient water management, strengthens local ecosystems, and contributes to food and water security for the future.

Ethio-Nature is a collaborative effort between Aarhus University in Denmark, Hawassa University and Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Ministry of Water and Energy, and the University of the Punjab in Pakistan. The project is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark and managed by Danida Fellowship Centre, and runs from April 2025 to March 2030. By bringing together expertise in remote sensing, geophysics, ecohydrology, and socio-economic analysis, the partnership is uniquely positioned to co-develop practical, scalable solutions for sustainable groundwater management in Ethiopia.

More information is available at: https://drp.dfcentre.com/project/enhancing-groundwater-resource-management-through-remote-sensing-and-ecohydrological-nature-based-solutions-in-ethiopia