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Engineers Proposal on how to Eradicate Hunger from ETHIOPIA Tadesse H/Selassie
Ato Tadesse makes the following point
in his proposal: "A farmer needs the following
resources and conditions to be productive: Solar
Energy, Labor, Improved Selected Seed, Land, Democratic Governance,
Water." "If we had made our slogan
"Water for the Tiller" (instead of "Land for the
Tiller" only), we would not have been hungry today." "As an engineer, my proposed
solution to reduce poverty and famine and completely eradicate them is
to allocate 2 Hectares of land with 10,000 cubic meter water per year
for one farmer." "Relying on rain fed agriculture
to feed a nation of 63 million people is like trying to catch a cloud in
the sky. Hoping to feed 100 million Ethiopians by the year 2015 by
relying solely on rain fed agriculture is sheer madness." Proposal I Objective: To provide 1 billion cubic
meter of water. Cost Estimate: 500 Million Birr. Design and
Construction: 3 years. 1) Dam and divert Bilaten and Dijo
rivers that originate around Butajira and Hossana and make them
discharge their water into Lake Ziway. At the moment, these two rivers
discharge their water into Lakes Abaya and Shala. 2) Divert the Awash river when it
reaches Zuquala moumtain to lake Ziway. A very large flat area that can
be used as a silting basin can be found between Zuquala and Lake Ziway.
These silting basins will be transformed into a fertile land. 3) Lake Ziway has over 450 square
kilometers aerial extent and can hold easily two more billion cubic
meter of water with only a 4 meter elevation rise. 4) Through controlled release of the 2
billion cubic meter of water accumulated in Lake Ziway and thrugh river
training of Awash river, the water can be transported Aliy Derge Plain
200 kilometers downstream of Lake Ziway by gravity alone. Benefits: 1) Permanent employment for 100,000
farmers and their families. 2) These 100,000 farmers can feed 5
million Ethiopians. 3) 200 MW of additional electricity
generating capacity 4) 100 Km of inland waterway 5) Prolonged life for farmlands in
Wonji, Metahara, Middle Awsh, Amibara, and Tendaho. Proposal II Objective: Provide farmers with 2
billion cubic meter of water. Cost Estimate: 3.62 billion Birr. Design
and Construction: 5 years. 1) Dam 13 small rivers located in North
Shoa and channel the water through the Addis Ababa area and discharge it
to an artificial lake near Metehara. 2) Divert the Kessem and Kebena Rivers
in East Shoa to the artificial lake near Metehara. 3) Build an artificial lake near
Metehara that can hold 3 billion cubic meter of water. 4) Build channels that provide water to
the farmlands in Metehara and the farmlands in middle Awash. Benefits: 1) Employment for 200,000 farmers and
their families. 2) These 200,000 farmers can feed 10
million Ethiopians. 3) The 1500 meter elevation difference
between North Shoa and Metahara, a 1000 MW hydroelectric power can be
generated. Proposal III Objective: provide farmers with 25
billion cubic meter of water. Cost Estimate: 7 billion Birr. Design and
Construction: 13 years. 1) Damming the Blue Nile beneath
Mertole Mariam with a dam of 300 meter height. 2) Drill a 50 Km long tunnel at the
junction of Rivers Teleyayen and Tere and divert the Beshlo River to an
eastward flow. 3) Construct two more dams near the
Wuchale and Mersa towns to impound 25 billion cubic meters of water
diverted from the Beshlo river. Benefits: 1) Employment Opportunity for 2.5
million farmers and their families. 2) 2.5 million farmers can feed 125
million people. 3) Inland waterway of 800 Km length
will provide a transportation means for people and goods to travel to
and from Tis Abay to Wuchale and further north through Kobo and Alamata
upto Mohani town. |
