Ethiopia has launched a 10 year National Forest Sector Development Program (NFSDP) targeted to serve as the main guiding document for coordinating strategic policy interventions.The Program is launched by the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MEFCC) in collaboration with UNDP.
Launching the program, Minister of MEFCC Gemedo Dalle said the climate resilient Green Economy (CRGE) recognizes that deforestation and forest degradation must be reversed if the country is to meet its development goals.Therefore, Ethiopia has set triple goal of attaining middle income status while pursuing net-zero emission economic growth and building resilience by 2025, he said.
“Ethiopia`s Ten Years National Forest Sector Development Program together with other initiatives, we are launching today, will serve as roadmap for coordinating strategic policy interventions and sector wide investments,” Gemedo noted.
He stated that the program contains transformational action programs for catalyzing GDP, generating employment, and contributing towards self-sufficiency in forest products.UNDP Country director Louise Chamberlain said on her part that the goal of the plan can only be achieved with strong involvement of the people of Ethiopia and government leaders at all levels and across the country through strong partnerships.
The NFSDP will ensure an increase in Ethiopia`s forest coverage to 20 percent in 2020 and 30 percent in 2025 and make forest a core sector in economic structural reforms.It will also be a major source of income for people living in rural areas, diversifying income for small holder farming households, she stated.
A UNDP Study showed that, the forest contribution to GDP is 12 percent as opposed to 2-4 percent in the current GDP calculation for the forest sector.Ethiopia`s forest coverage has reached to 15.5 percent currently.
Source-ENA
The Federal Transport Authority announced on septembre 25/2018 that it has launched electronic service (e-service) to deliver 18 online services.E-Service is an electronic form of public service provision.
Using the e-Service system developed in cooperation with Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, government organizations can render electronic public services to citizens, non-citizens, businesses, governmental and non-governmental organizations.
Speaking at the official launching ceremony, Federal Transport Authority Director-General Abdissa Yadeta said the transport sector creates social linkages and supports economic development, but delivering swift and modern service was challenging.
The e-Service would facilitate modern service delivery and solve maladministration, the director-general added.According to Abdissa, “anybody with Internet access and computer or mobile device can register online and request the services from anywhere.”
Communications and Information Technology State Minister, Sisay Tolla said implementing the electronic service would solve various customer related problems.Sisay stated that electronic service reduces direct human interaction, stores documents properly, enhances transparency and accountability, simplifies processes, increases productivity, and prevents corrupt practices.
To file a service request, users would login on www.eservices.gov.et using her/his account or can register in the system to get a user account and continue with his/her application.The online services cover vehicle quality assurance and import, cargo transport, and public transport.
Source-ENA
በአዋሽ ወንዝ ሙላት እንደሚደርስ የተገመተው የጎርፍ አደጋ ስጋት መቀነሱን የአዋሽ ተፋሰስ የጎርፍ መከላከል ግብረ ኃይል አስታወቀ።ከሳምንታት በፊት በፌዴራል ደረጃ የተዋቀረው የአዋሽ ተፋሰስ የጎርፍ መከላከል ግብረ ኃይል በአፋር ክልል በሚገኙ የታችኛውና መካከለኛው አዋሽ ተፋሰስ የስጋት ስፍራዎችን ተዘዋውሮ ጎብኝቷል።ግብረ ኃይሉ የጉብኝቱን ማጠቃለያ ግምገማ አስመልክቶ ለኢዜአ እንደገለጸው በአዋሽ ተፋሰስ ይደርሳል ተብሎ የተጠበቀው የጎርፍ አደጋ ስጋት መቀነሱን አረጋግጧል።
አዋሽ በአገሪቱ ከሚገኙ 12 ተፋሰሶች በስፋት የለማና በተፈጥሯዊ የተፋሰስ ባህሪም በክረምት ወቅት ከፍተኛ የጎርፍ መጥለቅለቅ የሚከሰትበት ነው።በዘንድሮ ክረምት በነበረው ከፍተኛ የዝናብ መጠን ትንበያና በአዋሽ ተፋሰስ በሚገኙ ግድቦች ሙላት ሳቢያ በተፋሰሱ የጎርፍ አደጋ እንደሚደርስ ስጋት አሳድሮ ነበር።
ሊደርስ የሚችለውን አደጋ ለመቀነስም በፌዴራል፣ በኦሮሚያና በአፋር ክልሎች የሚገኙ ባለድርሻ የመንግስት መስሪያ ቤቶችን ያካተተ የጎርፍ መከላከል ግብረ ኃይል ተቋቁሞ ወደስራ ተገብቷል።በብሔራዊ አደጋ ስጋት ስራ አመራር ኮሚሽን የሚመራውና ብሔራዊ ሚቲዎሮሎጂን፣ ውሃ፣ መስኖና ኤሌክትሪክና መከላከያ ሚኒስቴሮችን፣፣ አዋሽ ተፋሰስ ባለስልጣን፣ የኮንስትራክሽን ስራዎች ኮርፖሬሽን፣ ስኳር ኮርፖሬሽን፣ የአፋርና የኦሮሚያ ክልል የአደጋ ስጋት መከላከል ቢሮዎችና ሌሎች ተቋማትን በአባልነት ያቀፈው ግብረ ኃይሉ ለሁለት ቀናት በአፋር ክልል የተፋሰሱን አካባቢዎች ጎብኝቷል።
ከአዋሽ ተፋሰስ ስፍራዎች መካከልም በታችኛው አዋሽ ዱብቲ ወረዳና የተንዳሆ ግድብን፣ በመካከለኛው አዋሽ ደግሞ የገዋኔ፣ አሚባራና አዋሽ ፈንታሌ ወረዳዎች በሚገኙ የአዋሽ ወንዝ የስጋት ቦታዎች እንዲሁም የከሰም ግድብን ተመልክቷል።የብሔራዊ አደጋ ስጋት ስራ አመራር ምክትል ኮሚሽነር ዳመነ ዳሮታ እንዳሉት በጉብኝቱ በአዋሽ ተፋሰስ ባለስልጣን የተከናወኑ አበረታች የጎርፍ መከላከል ስራዎችና በአንዳንድ ቦታዎች የአዋሽ ወንዝ መስመሩን ሰብሮ በእርሻ ልማት ላይ ጉዳት ማድረሱ ተስተውሏል።
“ውሃ በአግባቡ ከተመራ መልካም እድል ነው” ያሉት አቶ ዳመነ አዋሽ ወንዝ “በክረምት ሽሽት፣ በበጋ ደግሞ የውሃ እጥረት” የሚስተዋልበት ተፋሰስ እንደሆነ በማንሳት ጉብኝቱ በመናበብ፣ በቅንጅትና በባለቤትነት ከተሰራ አደጋን መቋቋም እንደሚቻል ያመላካተ ነው ብለዋል።
ቀደም ሲል በላይኛው አዋሽ ተፋሰስ የመስክ ምልከታ መደረጉን አንስተው በመካከለኛውና በታችኛው ተፋሰሱ የተከናወኑ የቅደመ መከላከል ስራዎች ተጠናክረው እንዲቀጥሉ የግብረ ኃይሉ አባላት ኃላፊነት ወስደዋል ነው ያሉት።የአዋሽ ተፋሰስ ባለስልጣን ዋና ዳይሬክተር አቶ ጌታቸው ግዛውም 80 በመቶው የአዋሽ ተፋሰስ ለጎርፍ አደጋ የተጋለጠ መሆኑን ገልጸው፤ ከጎርፍ አደጋ ስጋት ተጋላጭ ያልሆነው የተፋሰሱ ክፍል ከ18 በመቶ እንደማይበልጥ ተናግረዋል።
በዘንድሮው ክረምት ቀደም ሲል በብሔራዊ ሚቲዎሮሎጂ ትንበያ መሰረት ባለስልጣኑ ለጎርፍ አደጋ እጅግ ተጋላጭ በሆኑ አካባቢዎች ከ300 ኪሎ ሜትር በላይ የጎርፍ መከላከያ ዱካዎችን የመስራት፣ ነባሩን የማስተካከልና የመጠገን ስራዎች መስራቱን ገልጸዋል።
ከከሰም በስተቀር የቆቃና ተንዳሆ ግድቦች ከሚፈለገው መጠን በላይ ሞልተው አደጋ እንዳያደርሱ የውሃ መጠን የማስተንፈስ ስራዎች መከናወናቸውን አስታውሰዋል።ለጎርፍ አዳጋ ስጋት የነበረው የከሰም ግድብም አሁን ላይ መጠኑ እየቀነሰ በመሆኑ ይደርሳል የተባለው የአደጋ ስጋት መቀነሱን ነው ያብራሩት።
የአዋሽ ወንዝ ከአራት ዓመታት በፊት ሞልቶ ጉዳት ያደረሰው መስከረም 28 እንደነበር በማውሳት መስከረም የክረምት አካል በመሆኑ አሁንም ጥንቃቄ የሚፈልጉ ስራዎች መከናወን እንዳለባቸው የስራ ኃላፊዎቹ ተናግረዋል።ከክረምት ወራት ሙሉ በሙሉ ተወጥቷል ባይባልም በግብረ ኃይሉ ግምገማ ግን ከዚህ በኋላ በተፋሰሱ የከፋ ጉዳት ይኖራል የሚል ስጋት እንደሌለ ነው የገለጹት።
አቶ ዳመነ ዳሮታ እንደተናገሩት ከዚህ ቦኃላ የከፋ ስጋት እንደማይመጣና ነገር ግን ትኩረት አድርጎ ለመስራት ኃላፊነት በመውሰድ በቆይጣቸው አስቀምጠዋል፡፡አቶ ጌታቸው ግዛው በበኩላቸው በዚህ ክረምት ከነበረው ጠንካራ የክረምት ዝናብ አንጻር ቀደም ብለን ያደረግናቸው በቂ ዝግጅቶች ሊደርስ የሚችለውን አደጋ መቋቋም ማስቻሉንና አሁንም የግብረ ኃይሉ ስራ ተጠናክሮ የሚቀጥል ነው ብለዋል፡፡
ኢዜአ
Ethiopia currently has 180,000ha of forest cover. The government projects to increase this by five percent within two years. The nation is gearing up to adopt a new 10-year master plan for sustainable forest management.
The draft master plan, National Forest Sector Development Program, is developed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change and has five principal pillars – enabling environment and institutional development, sustainable forest production and value chain, forest environmental services, forests and rural livelihoods, and urban greening and urban foresting.
The master plan envisions the reforestation of nearly 2.5 million hectares of land with tree plantations, the creation of over 600,000 full-time jobs, increasing the value of agriculture and other sectors by 3.2 billion dollars and fully substituting the import of wood products.
The plan is intended to be used by regional states as a blueprint to formulate their own programs to lower carbon emissions into the atmosphere by 50pc.
“It will be the principal policy document in coordinating strategic interventions and directing sector-wide investments for the next 10 years,” said Tefera Mengistu (PhD), coordinator at the Ministry’s Forest Sector Development Program.
To attain the goals of the national forestry plan, roughly 15 billion dollars in investment are needed, and the plan is to target and leverage growing global interest to reduce deforestation and improve the management of existing forest resources.
The United Nations Development Programme, and the governments of Norway and Sweden have already pledged 10.5 million dollars and 6.5 million dollars, respectively.
“The local demand for forest products has increased over the past years,” Tefera said, explaining the need for the new master plan. “Besides, the global phenomenon of climate change needs to be addressed strategically.”
The plan replaces the Ethiopian Forestry Action Program, which has been in place since 1994.
“As Ethiopia continues to experience rapid economic growth, the demand for timber, non-timber forest products and environmental services increases, making the role forestry plays in the economy more important and relevant,” said Ababu Anage, national climate change specialist at the UN agency.
Currently, Ethiopia has 180,000ha of land under forest cover, and the government plans to increase this figure by five percent by the end of 2020. To attain its current demand for timber, Ethiopia has to develop about 310,000ha of new commercial forest plantation.
“We have to create well-managed commercial forests,” argues Tefera. “To attain this, we need to invite the private sector to engage in the forest industry.”
To reach this target, the master plan envisages the establishment of new commercial plantations, tree planting in the form of small-scale woodlots, afforestation, reforestation and forest landscape restoration.
The plan is also aligned with the Climate-Resilient Green Economy strategy, according to Ababu.
“Protecting and re-establishing forests for their economic and ecosystem services is one of its main stakes,” he said.
The project aims to double the contribution of the industry to the country’s gross domestic product by 2020, which currently stands at four percent.
“Forestry is a missed opportunity in Ethiopia,” said Mulugeta Limenih (PhD), an expert on forestry with over a decade experience, at a press conference organised by the Ethiopian Forestry Society. “There is very little public investment in forest development, and private players are not attracted to it.”
Ethiopia needs to have a long-term strategy and a robust institutional environment, he added.
Ethiopia’s natural forests and woodlands hold various commercially essential forest products, according to the report.
Ethiopia’s forests generated economic benefits in the form of cash and in-kind income equivalent to 16.7 billion dollars in 2012. Over the past decade, Ethiopia imported over 1.1 billion dollars worth of wood and wood products.
Source-Fortune
Addis Ababa is moderately polluted and that is a major environmental risk which could affect sensitive people, Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MEFCC) State Minister Negusu Lemma disclosed.
Speaking at the Air Quality Management Workshop that opened in Sptember 17/2018 at addis ababa, the State Minister said “97 percent of cities in low and middle income countries with more than 100,000 inhabitants do not meet the World Health Organization air quality guidelines.”
Addis Ababa Environmental Protection Agency General Manager, Alemi Asefa said on her part old cars with high gas emission rate, and gas from solid wastes released especially by constructions and industries are mainly aggravating pollution in the city.
According to her, the US Environmental Protection Agency Air Quality Management Plan that will be delivered in early 2019 helps to identify major air pollution sources, general status of the city and its health and economic impacts.
US Charge d’affaires Troy Fitrell said US and Ethiopia will work in partnership to improve air quality management to build healthy environment and population in the country.
“The US believes that an investment in improving Ethiopia’s air quality is an investment worth making because clean air is not leisure, it is a necessity we cannot live without,” Fitrell added.
The Workshop discussed various aspects of air quality management, policies and sources.
Source-ENA
Collaboration Workshop (CoLab) on Building a Water Resilient City Convenes Partners, Subject Matter Advisors, and City Representatives to Drive Innovation and Introduce Pathways to Enhance Urban Resilience
This is the first CoLab to be run in Africa, building off of previous workshops on economic development, school infrastructure, and public transportation held over the past year in cities across Europe, South America, and North America.
The multi-year drought shock that Cape Town is currently experiencing is an opportunity to more comprehensively think about water system resilience and to catalyse change through introducing alternative, resilient pathways guided by sustainability. The CoLab is expected to drive innovation and identify solutions toward fortifying the resilience of Cape Town’s water system and the city’s wider resilience for years to come.
“Cape Town has shown certain characteristics of resilience during the drought, but much more needs to be done before we can truly regard Cape Town as a water resilient city. What the City of Cape Town and its people have achieved during the drought is remarkable, but we must ensure that the lessons we learnt during the drought are retained, and make us better prepared for future shock events,” said Councillor Xanthea Limberg, Mayoral Committee Member for Informal Settlements, Water and Waste Services.
“Cape Town is not alone: water-related hazards like floods, droughts, pollution, and related issues are increasing in frequency and intensity, impacting more than 80% of 100RC member cities worldwide,” said Liz Agbor-Tabi, Associate Director for City Resilience Delivery at 100 Resilient Cities. “The CoLab is a unique opportunity to explore how water ties into Cape Town’s larger social, economic, and political ecosystem – with the aim of fostering a stronger, more resilient city.”
A 100RC CoLab is a collaborative, expedited process between municipal government, subject matter experts, and members of the 100RC Platform of Partners. The 100RC Platform is a curated suite of resilience-building tools and services, provided by partners from the private, public, academic, and non-profit sectors at no direct cost to member cities. 100RC Partners at the Cape Town CoLab include: Arup, Deltares, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, The Nature Conservancy, Swiss Re, Veolia, and WWF South Africa, with additional collaboration from the SA SDI Alliance and The Resilience Shift. Also attending the event to contribute their cities’ experience are representatives from fellow 100RC members Los Angeles, Mexico City, and Addis Ababa.
The City of Cape Town is currently in the process of developing its first Resilience Strategy with support from 100 Resilient Cities. The City will launch its Preliminary Resilience Assessment, a robust analysis of Cape Town’s resilience opportunities and challenges, on Friday. Findings reveal drought, rainfall flooding, unemployment, and substance abuse as top concerns among more than 150 thematic specialists consulted and over 11 000 residents surveyed in the months-long assessment process. Challenges incorporate one-time shock events as well as stresses that weaken the urban fabric on a day to day or cyclical basis.
“Water management is a crucial component of Cape Town’s resilience-building process, but it cannot be addressed in a silo,” said Gareth Morgan, Director of Resilience in the City of Cape Town’s Corporate Services Directorate. “Our city’s vulnerability to climate shocks has distinct implications for a growing population shouldering high rates of unemployment, poverty, and a lack of affordable housing. Although daunting, these challenges are also our greatest opportunities.”
The CoLab will explore the impacts of drought and water insecurity on the city’s resilience, understand underlying causes and barriers, and utilise the collective experience and knowledge of the local and international participants to develop concrete courses of action – to help Cape Town’s water system become more resilient to the physical, social, and economic challenges of the present and future. Apart from advancing thought leadership on the topic of water system resilience, the resulting practical recommendations and technical, multi-disciplinary resources will inform the development of Cape Town’s Resilience Strategy.
###
For further information, please contact:
Nicole Bohrer-Kaplan
NBohrer@100RC.org / 646-612-7177
About 100 Resilient Cities—Pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation
100 Resilient Cities – Pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation (100RC) helps cities around the world become more resilient to social, economic, and physical challenges that are a growing part of the 21st century. 100RC provides this assistance through: funding for a Chief Resilience Officer in each of our cities who will lead the resilience efforts; resources for drafting a resilience strategy; access to private sector, public sector, academic, and NGO resilience tools; and membership in a global network of peer cities to share best practices and challenges. For more information, visit: www.100ResilientCities.org.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency is set to team up with the Addis Ababa Environmental Protection Agency and the Ethiopian Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, to help improve the air quality management system of Addis Ababa. This is to be a project titled – USEPA Megacities Partnership- and will be launched in the capital on September 17/ 2018 inside the compound of the United Nations Conference Centre.
The new effort comes as Addis Ababa, with its ever-expanding populations and lack of infrastructure is facing a chronic problem of air pollution that has caused health damages to thousands of residents. The week-long gathering that will host senior delegates from the US and Ethiopia is set to hear on the current state of air quality and relevant policies, learn the basics of air quality management and how to design and analyze AQM strategies and policies that can improve public health.
According to the US Embassy in Addis, the objective is to “Assist Addis Ababa to develop capacity, apply tools and analysis, and motivate action to address air pollution”.
In Ethiopia, a majority of the population continues to rely on biomass fuels, such as wood and charcoal as a substitute to modern energy, helping extradite air pollution and leading to premature deaths throughout the country. Despite an improved economical status of the nation, there is no environmental quality control within the country.
While the Government of Donald Trump continues to be lukewarm to the needs of the environment and international development, EPA continues to collaborate with local partners on sustainable development projects that impact some of the most vulnerable populations in the world.
The gathering is set to hear from a number of dignitaries, including the acting mayor of Addis Ababa, Tekele Uma Benti and the ambassador of the United States to Ethiopia, Michael Raynor.
Source-Reporter newspaper
According to the Addis Ababa City Fire, Emergency Prevention and Rescue Agency’s annual report, 83 people were killed in the city from floods and fires. Holes from construction sites contributed to another 88 people being injured. Flooding and fires damaged many shops and homes causing a loss of 408.4 million birr.
In total there were 535 floods and fires this fiscal year. This included the fire that damaged 140 shops near the Grand Anwar Mosque in Mercato causing 57 million birr in property damage.
Two weeks ago a pregnant woman and her two children drowned when they were trapped by flood waters while washing clothes by a river in Asko. Police have yet to find their bodies.
Poor safety management of construction sites means that floods are increasing according to the report. Bole Sub- City, one of the most affluent places, had 83 incidents while Adiss Ketema and Kolfe had 65 and 64 accidents respectively.
In the previous fiscal year 531 accidents occurred in the city, snatching the lives of 83 people and injuring 119. Negatu Mulu, Communications officer told Capital that helicopters and boats should be purchased because they could be used to save lives.
“Two weeks ago there were floods in Akaki and it took hours to borrow boats and helicopters from defense forces and later the helicopters came but we did not manage to rescue people and finally our rescue workers swam and saved the people’s lives. If we had a helicopter and boats we could manage our service when big fires occur.”
A recent study by the Agency disclosed that 121,000 households across all sub- cities and 1,000 government and private institutions are vulnerable to flood disasters. The study identified 143 places as high risk and stated that if the necessary relocation or reconstruction is not made soon disasters may kill thousands and damage 4.5 billion birr in property. Many of the risky places are found in Gullele and Nifas Silke Sub city where there are homes near river and drainage sites.
Riversides in Addis Ababa have been a source of worry for residents. They have been dogged by landslides, pollution and lack of development for ages. But due to a spate of development activities, that might change soon.
The research found that Addis Ababa Rivers and riversides face problems which include: badly polluted segments through direct discharge of domestic waste generated mainly from households and institutions; river bank erosion; and inaccessible rivers and riversides.
Source-Capital
The Addis Abeba City Road Traffic Management Agency is set to upgrade accident-prone roads by installing and maintaining traffic lights, safety devices, signage and marking at a cost of 220 million Br.
The installation of traffic lights will take place at 31 proposed road intersections. It will also include maintenance work that consist of repainting 50Km of lanes and zebras, and fixing road studs along 82 different streets. While the traffic lights will cost 54 million Br, the upgrades and maintenance work will take up 128 million Br.
Covering lane dividers and pedestrian crossings with new coats of paint will cost 39 million Br. The project is a continuation of a previous repainting project of around 100Km of roads.
The work will be completed by the end of November. A tender for repainting work on another 145Km of roads has been floated as a separate project.
Four contractors, ATS Engineering, Yared Seyoum General Contractor, Yemane Tewolde General Contractor and Bed Rock Construction were hired to complete the work. Yohannes Abbay Consulting Architects & Engineers will play supervisory roles.
The project will also include the installation of speed humps, rumble strips that were started in the last budget year but interrupted by the rainy seasons, and road studs.
Road studs, which illuminate the roads at night time and make sounds when vehicles pass over them, are made out of glass beads and light emitting diodes.
The glass beads are reflectors made from aluminium alloy with compression resistance of over 30tn while the diodes use solar energy to recharge themselves.
These road studs will be installed at 82 location where overpasses and underpasses start. Bollards, short and sturdy posts, will also be used to close access to vehicles on some of the roads.
“The Addis Abeba City Road Authority allows urgent maintenance and installation work as necessary and as environmental and other conditions permit, which is the case here,” according to Demelash Gebremariam, deputy director for Road Resource Administration of the Authority. “The agency has only to inform the authority by any means of communication the need or the urgency of the installation or maintenance.”
The Agency also plans to conduct awareness creation campaigns beginning this month in a bid to reduce livestock travelling on city’s roads, according to Genetu Dessalegn, director of the Agency.
Fekadu Gurmessa (PhD), a transport geography lecturer at Addis Abeba University for more than a decade, lauds the effort made by the Agency. But he believes that continuous maintenance is necessary to justify the cost involved.
“The traffic lights, paint coatings and other safety signage don’t have a long life,” he said.
Source-Fortune
The Afincho-ber to Orma Garage Riverside Project, which will be built with a capital of little more than 600 million birr, is to be started in the coming project year.According to the Addis Ababa River and Riverside Development and Climate Change Adaption Project Office, the pilot project is in long list of other projects planned to be executed and make the city ever more clean and green.Talking to The Ethiopian Herald, Project Office Deputy CEO Debela Birru said that the Riverside project will not only provide socio-economic benefits to the public, but it is expected to elevate the aesthetics of the city by providing premier amenities for open space, recreation and culture. It will have walkways, and ermeable ponds and green areas, and as necessary, it will also have business centers that would in no way pollute the River, he added.
The Project Office has already selected winner form international bidders, and is in the process awarding the project.
Source-The Ethiopian Herald