The project ‘WaterPricing’ is carried out in the Awash sub-basin around the Awash river from 2018 until 2024. The project is particularly aimed at more efficient use and fairer distribution of the available water. The water supply in the river decreases sharply because more and more water is drained by industry and agriculture. As a result, the river may run dry downstream.
Besides, people do not have equal access to water. The industry can afford to pump water to their land, but small farmers cannot. Moreover, the available water isn’t used efficiently, too much water is drained upstream and not irrigated efficiently. That is why the project is based om three pillars: water availability, access to water and water use. Next to taking measures regarding these pillars, the project ‘Valuing Water’ introduces a revenue model through which taxes are raised on water use. Finally, the Ethiopian government is involved to work on improved water management in the sub-basin.
Four packages
Smart monitoring: measuring equipment is placed in the river to collect water data, water levels, water quality and the amount of water tapped. Civil servants learn how to work with it.
Taxation: by implementing a tax system and issuing licences for water use, the more affluent consumers are going to pay for water. That makes money available to improve maintenance. Farmers are organized in ‘organizations of water users’. These organizations get a reduced fee for access to water.
Collection and recycling: Special attention is paid to the most vulnerable near the river. Forces are joined with them to reduce water use and to keep and re-use water, among others by rainwater harvesting.
Efficient irrigation: Farmers in the ‘organizations of water users’ receive training to irrigate efficiently and to improve their production.
Collaboration
In this project Woord en Daad works together with six parties. Both companies and government agencies are involved to turn the project into a functioning whole. Two Ethiopian government agencies, Awash Basin Authority (AwBA) and OMEB, are supported in implementing taxation and water management. Two companies (Eijkelkamp and VNGI) use innovative techniques to make possible implementing taxation and monitoring water use and water quality. The Dutch Water Authorities (DWA) is a knowledge partner. Woord en Daad manages the project. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also involved in this project and triples every euro.
