[May 18, 2026] — “The only gauging station on the Modjo River was gradually buried due to excessive sediment build-up linked to unregulated sand mining and altered river flow conditions caused by a nearby water passage structure, which has created a backwater effect that traps water upstream, while sand mining activities downstream are discharging large amounts of sediment into the river”, resents Dr. Ermias Teferi Water Division Director at WLRC. He said the sediment load exceeds the river’s natural transport capacity, causing the riverbed to rise steadily and burying the Station and further threatening bridges and water intake structures along the river and eventually the structure itself.
In mid-May 2026, the Gauging Station was thus rehabilitated by WLRC and MoWE experts using a marble meter section and a concrete pillar. The rehabilitation was financed under the BRIGHT Project, which is funded by the EU and EKN in Addis Ababa.
Dr. Ermias strongly recommends strict measures to safeguard the River Gauging Station, including quitting the discharge of sediment-laden water from sand mining into the river, demarcating a 1 km buffer zone around critical water infrastructure, and maintaining open‑channel flow at low discharges to help eliminate the stagnant pool that miners caused.
