Awash River

The Awash River is a major river in Ethiopia. It flows only in Ethiopia and ends in lakes, including Lake Abbe, near Djibouti. The river passes through the Amhara, Oromia, Somali Regions, and the Afar Region.

The Awash River has two rainy seasons each year. But climate change might make the river smaller because of hotter weather and less rain.

The Awash River area is very important to Ethiopia. Many people live there. The river is used for farming, factories, and cities. But this can pollute the water from farms, factories, and city waste.

The Awash Valley is famous for old human fossils. One famous fossil, called "Lucy", was found there. This area is important for learning about human history. It became a World Heritage List site by UNESCO in 1980.

Geography

The Awash River is a large river in Ethiopia. It is 1,200 kilometres (750 mi) long. The river starts in the central highlands of Ethiopia at a height of 3,000 metres (9,800 ft). It flows through many places and ends at Lake Abbe, close to the border with Djibouti. The river passes through areas such as the Great Rift Valley and near towns like Addis Ababa and Adama.

The Awash River has many smaller rivers that flow into it, called tributaries. Some of these are the Logiya, Mille, Borkana, and Dukem Rivers. There are also interesting places along the river, such as hot springs and swamps.

Climate

The climate around the Awash River changes with the movement of the intertropical convergence zone. This brings two rainy seasons: a short one around March, called Belg, and a longer one from June to September, called Kiremt. From October to March, there is a dry season named Bega. The area near the Rift Valley is dry, but the highlands get a lot of rain.

A study in 2018 looked at how effects of climate change might change water resources in the Awash basin. The study used different climate models to see what could happen in the future. The models showed that warmer temperatures and less rain could make water harder to find.

Hydrology

Rainfall, droughts and floods

Rainfall changes a lot in the Awash River area each year. This makes it hard to plan for farming and clean water. Sometimes, heavy rains in July and August cause floods. These floods look different in different parts of the river. In cities, fast floods and overflowing rivers can happen.

As more people farm, build factories, and move to cities, the river’s water becomes more important. The area often has dry spells and floods, and changes in weather may make these problems worse. Good plans for using water need to think about everyone who needs it.

Groundwater

Groundwater, which is water under the ground, refills differently in various places. It fills more in high areas with lots of rain and less in lower areas. Many people and businesses in this area depend on groundwater. Managing this water well is important because of growing cities, climate changes, and many other activities.

Ecology

The Awash River area has many different plants and animals. In higher places, you can find forests, grasslands, and moorlands. In lower, drier areas, there are bushlands and thickets.

The lower part of the Awash Valley helps protect some rare animals, like the African wild ass. Other animals that live here include Beisa Oryx, Soemmering's gazelle, Dorcas gazelle, gerenuk, Grevy's zebra, and crocodiles in the river.

Human activities and impacts

The Awash River area is a busy place where many people live. There are farms and big factories, like sugar factories in Wenji, Methara, and Kesem.

Water supply

Big cities, such as Addis Ababa, Mojo, and Adama, get water from the Awash River and its smaller streams. The river also helps grow crops like sugarcane.

Economic activities

Most people in the Awash area work in farming or services, especially in Addis Ababa. Farming uses a lot of water and is very important for the area's economy. Crops like teff, maize, sorghum, beans, and vegetables grow well there. However, there are few forests, and most trees grow only in high places. Animals sometimes eat crops, which can damage the land.

Pollution

Not many places clean the water properly in the Awash River area. Factories and cities often dump waste into the river, making it dirty. This waste includes chemicals from farms and factories. The river has too much of certain metals, which can be harmful.

Water quality

In 2023, scientists found that the river water had high levels of metals that are not good to drink. The river water is used for drinking and farming, so this is a problem. There are also other harmful chemicals in the water. These can get into the groundwater too, making it unsafe to drink. Many places where people get water from the ground do not have enough checks to make sure it is clean.

Paleontology

See also: Middle Awash and Middle Awash Project

Humans have lived in the Awash valley almost since the start of our species. Many important ancient human-like fossils have been found there. These fossils are very old, from between about 5.6 and 2.5 million years ago. Some of the most famous discoveries include "Lucy," an early human ancestor, and other ancient human relatives like Homo erectus and Ardipithecus.

History

In the 16th century, the Awash River was called the great Dir river. It flowed through the land of the Muslims.

20th Century

In 1933/1934, the first European to follow the Awash River all the way to its end was Wilfred Thesiger. He started at the city of Awash and traced the river to where it ends in Lake Abhebad. He then continued east to Tadjoura. (Another explorer, L. M. Nesbitt, had followed parts of the river in 1928 but turned north toward the Red Sea before reaching the end.)

In 1960, the Koka Dam was built across the Awash River, about 75 kilometres (47 mi) from Addis Ababa. The dam provided a lot of hydroelectric power to the area. The dam created a large freshwater lake called Lake Gelila, also known as the Koka Reservoir. Both the lake and the dam have problems from increasing sedimentation.

Society and culture

The valley of the Awash River, around 9° North, is where the Afar people and the Issa Somali clan have traditionally lived. This area has also been part of regions called Fatagar, Ifat, and Shewa.

There is a bank called the Awash International Bank, which is named after the Awash River.