Role and mandate of the Ministry of Water Resources

The Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR) is established by Proclamation No. 4/1995 in 1996 to carry out the responsibilities of the Federal Government with regard to the development and management of water resources.

The Ministry of Water Resources shall have the powers and duties to:

• determine conditions and methods required for the optimum allocation and utilisation of water that flows across or lies between more than one regional governments among various uses and regions
• prepare draft laws concerning the protection and utilisation of water resources
• issue permits to construct and operate water works relating to waters referred to in sub-article (1) of this Article; and regulate same

• make appropriate studies concerning water tariff and, upon approval, collect bulk charges for water use under sub-article (1) of this article

• undertake studies pertaining to the utilisation of the waters of transboundary rivers and, upon approval, follow up the implementation of same
• prepare plans that help to properly utilise water resources for development purposes, and supervise their implementation upon approval
• provide all the assistance deemed necessary with regard to water resources development

• sign international agreements relating to transboundary rivers, in accordance with the law
• prescribe, in co-operation with the appropriate organs, the quality standards for waters to be used for various purposes and

• supervise the proper rendering of meteorological services.

Ethiopian Water Resources Management Proclamation No. 197/2000 has specified the functions of the Ministry. In accordance with this proclamation, the Ministry shall have the following duties:

• issue permits and certificates of professional competence
• ensure that studies relating to water resources development, protection, utilisation and control have been carried out
• determine the allocation and manner of use of water resources among various uses and users
• require submission of plans and proposals from any person who may apply for a permit to undertake any kind of water works and approve, reject, or amend such plans and proposals
• establish quality standards for surveys, design and specification of water works necessary for the development of water resources. It shall also supervise compliance of water works with the established standards
• prepare directives, in consultation with public bodies concerned, in order to ensure that water resources are not polluted or rendered hazardous to health and environment
• issue directives pertaining to the safety of hydraulic structures for the prevention of damages caused by dam water to dams, persons, property and crops
• cause, in consultation with the public bodies concerned, the issuance of quality or health standards which enables it to entertain an application for a permit to discharge or release polluted water into water resources
• give an order of rectification or suspension of waterworks which are incompatible or inconsistent with the Ethiopian Water Resources Policy, relevant Basin Master Plan studies and water resources legislative framework, and ensure its implementation
• issue directives regarding water use restrictions in a situation of water shortage emergency and supervise the implementation of same.

The Ministry is mandated to delegate its powers and duties to the appropriate body for efficient execution of its duties. 

There are also specialised public enterprises engaged in financing, study, design, supervision and construction of water related activities.

With the coming into being of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and the establishment of regional water bureaus, a number of reform measures have been taken to deal with the problems, constraints, issues, challenges and opportunities of the Ethiopian water sector.

Main elements of the reform agenda

The main elements of the water resources reform agenda that have been put in place so far are:

• The Ethiopian Water Resources Management Policy—issued in 1999 as approved and endorsed by the Council of Ministers of the FDRE
• The Ethiopian Water Resources Management Proclamation (197/2000)—a Proclamation or Water Legislation issued by the Federal Parliament
• The Ethiopian Water Sector Strategy (2001)—an approved and endorsed national document
• The Water Sector Development Programme (2002–2016)—a 15-year sector plan that is developed to actually realise the goal, objectives and the fundamental principles that are articulated in the Ethiopian Water Policy.
• The establishment of the Water Resources Development Fund (2002)—an important step taken by the government and the Ministry of Water Resources to effectively support the implementation of the 15-year sector development programme.
• The Nile Basin Initiative (NBI)—an important policy measure to bring about a lasting legal and institutional arrangement among neighbouring countries in particular and the riparian states in general. Ethiopia has continued to play a key role in the way forward to bring about realistic and acceptable legal and institutional tools and instruments on the basis of equitable and reasonable utilisation of its transboundary waters.
• The other most important effort made in the previous years was the development of the Water Supply and Sanitation Master Plan. The objective of the master plan is to prepare long-term development scenario, medium-term development plan, and short-term investment programmes and strengthen the water supply and sanitation sector. The master plan has focused on urban water supply and sanitation, rural water supply and sanitation and capacity building. The master plan serves as a tool to further detail out the WSDP.
• Another important and interesting area of intervention that Ethiopia has been taking for the last few years is the integrated and comprehensive River Basin Master Plan Studies. The Ethiopian Water Resources Management Policy defines ‘Basin’ as a planning unit, where water resources as it is related to all other natural resources available in any given basin is studied in an integrated and comprehensive manner.  So far, Master Plan studies of five major rivers have been completed and studies of two other river basins are still ongoing, among which rivers like Abbay (Blue Nile), Tekeze and Baro-Akobo, which contribute significant amount of water to the Nile River system, are to be mentioned.

The Ethiopian Water Resources Management Policy has clearly defined the fundamental principles and objectives under which the overall water resources development and management is to be based. Water has been for the first time recognised as an economic and social good. According to the Water Policy, water is at the same time defined as a naturally endowed common good or property of the Ethiopian people. In addition, integration, comprehensiveness, participatory approach and decentralised management are some of the most important fundamental principles issued by the Government in the Water Policy.

The Ethiopian Water Resources Management Policy is composed of various cross-cutting issues that have great relevance in the way forward and other three important sub-sectors, i.e.: water supply and sanitation, irrigation and hydropower. Many important policy statements are issued for each of the components of the policy. One would better understand the contents of the water policy by going through the document.

Another important initiative that has been put in place is the Ethiopian Water Sector Strategy. In the context of Ethiopia, the Water Sector Strategy is defined as a means to translate the Ethiopian Water Policy into action.  It is better expressed as the ‘road map’ towards realising the fundamental principles, objectives and goal of the policy. What actions, ways, and options should or would be taken to implement the various issued policy statements are clearly outlined and defined in the strategy document.

As stated above, the Water Resources Management Policy has been prepared and adopted by the Federal Government of Ethiopia as an essential overriding policy document for the development and management of the country’s water resources.

Based on the policy and the Water Sector Strategy, the Water Sector Development Programme (WSDP) has now been finalised and all possible preparations for its implementation are underway.

The Water Sector Development Programme as indicated earlier has a planning horizon of 15 years. The most important feature of the WSDP is the inclusion of priority projects from the already completed River Basin Master Plan Studies and other regional projects and programmes that have been shelved for long due to lack of financial resources and weak institutional capacities. Another basic feature of the WSDP formulation is also the inclusion of the various projects under the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), especially those projects that have been considered under what is called the Eastern Nile Subsidiary Action Programme (ENSAP).