Addis Ababa city starts water rations to curb shortage

The Addis Ababa Water and Sewerage Authority (AAWSA) said it started rationing water supplies to stave off a shortage. AAWSA says it was forced to take water rationing measures as the rains have not returned to appropriate levels and reservoir levels are not restored in the city. Supplies to northern and eastern areas of the city will be restricted for four days a week with immediate effect, an official of AAWASA said. The city’s main source of water, the Legedadi reservoir, has lost its 1 meters reserve, which according to the official, mean five million metres cubes lose that could have served for a month. The normal operating level of the dam is 38 million meters cube, but the water levels are much lower due to inadequate rain. AAWSA said it had turned to other water sources in the city such as the Dire Dam that was built 19 years ago but the extreme weather condition have not been enough to push up the water level at the dam.
Ethiopia is experiencing dry weather. El Nino, a global weather pattern that causes dry conditions in the sub-Saharan region, is on course to be the strongest since 1997-98.