Arba Minch University/AMU/ commemorated the 31st World Water Day adjacent to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) Trophy Transfer Ceremony held at Gamo Zone Cultural Hall on March 22, 2025. The event was organized by Arba Minch Water Technology Institute/AWTi/ along with Gamo Zone Administration. Click here to see more photos.
Abdella Kemal (PhD), AMU president, officially opening the ceremony, gave a lowdown on the importance of commemorating World Water Day internationally and firsthand information of Ethiopia's abundant water resources which amount to over 124 billion cubic meters. The president also highlighted the pressing challenges in water management and utilization particularly the uneven distribution that leads to water stress in various regions, he said. With the GERD nearing completion, 99% of civil works and 97% of electro-mechanical works accomplished, it is worth hailing the contemporary generation for repeating the second Adwa victory, he remarked. When completed, Dr. Ing. Abdella foresaw that the dam as a national asset will foster economic growth, food security, national unity and energy access to rural communities. He urged all citizens to unite once again to support of the dam's successful completion which is anticipated to be completed in six months’ time. Dr. Ing. Abdella pointed out that four of Ethiopia’s 12 basins are dry while the eight of them have high water levels despite the significant limitation in their management and use. Asserting the key point, he emphasized that developing water resources for Ethiopia is not a luxury task but it’s a necessity for the survival.
Tamru Tesseme (PhD), Executive Scientific Director of Arba Minch Water Technology Institute, said, the dual celebration was aimed to raise awareness about the urgent need for universal access to clean water and sustainable water resources management. He hailed upon the community to actively involve in water conservation initiatives.
Prof. Yacob Arsano, Associate Professor and a renowned researcher at Addis Ababa University, spoke on Ethiopia’s three-century history of water diplomacy, the evolution of Ethiopia's approach to water sharing and the critical role water plays in fostering regional cooperation. He also expressed his happiness to grace the event of GERD Trophy transferring from Wolaita Zone to Gamo Zone for construction completion fund raising.
Mr. Abay Worku, a lecturer in College of Social Sciences and Humanities, AMU, underscoring the urgent need for sustainable water management strategies amidst evolving global challenges, noted that the global significance of water management, advocating for strengthened internal integrity, fostering water diplomacy and public diplomacy to address the challenges Ethiopia faces on water politics.
The World Water Day was established by the United Nations in 1993 and serves as an annual reminder of the global water crisis spotlighting issues such as water scarcity and pollution. This year's theme, “Glacier Preservation,” underscored the urgent need to safeguard freshwater sources impacted by climate change. As individuals and organizations gathered to make voluntary commitments toward these goals, the event fostered a sense of collective responsibility in preserving water resources for future generations.
Regarding the GERD Trophy transferring ceremony, the regional and local leaders: the speaker of the South Ethiopia Regional State People's Council, Mr. Alemayehu Baude, Gamo Zone Administrator, Demissie Admasu (PhD), the Mayor of Arba Minch City Administration, Mesfin Menza (PhD), Daniel Dale (PhD), Deputy Administrator of Wolaita Zone and the religious and Gamo fathers repeated the same voice that GERD is the symbol of unity and golden heritage for the next generation; they all hailed upon the public to participate proactively in the fund raising process and hit the set target and more of 130 million ETB for Gamo Zone from which 60 million was already collected; thus the collection of 70 million ETB and more is to be completed sooner so that the Trophy moves fast from one place to the next in the region until it reaches to get out another region.
AMU higher officials, academic and administrative staff, researchers, students, South Ethiopia Region higher officials, Gamo Zone Higher officials, Arba Minch Town Higher officials, Public representatives from Arba Minch Town and Gamo Zone, Prof. Yacob Arsano from Addis Ababa University and religious and Gamo fathers graced the event. Wolaita Zone handed over courtesy gift to Gamo Zone during the ceremony; the Gamo cultural band performed cultural melodies whereas Mr. Fekadu Asfaw, mastered the ceremony.
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