[WLRC, Arba Minch, September 1, 2025] Water and Land Resources Centre (WLRC) and the Ministry of Water and Energy (MoWE) organised and facilitated a four-day workshop on validation of the Hare Catchment baseline situations assessment findings and the proposed interventions, financed by the Basin Management Support for Resilient, Inclusive Growth and Harmonized Transformation for the National IWRM Programme of Ethiopia (BRIGHT) Project. The workshop was held at Haile Resort, Arba Minch, from September 1 to 4, 2025.
Dr. Gete Zeleke of WLRC indicated that the main objective of the workshop was to foster intersectoral collaboration among key institutions and stakeholders, and to carefully review and validate the proposed interventions that emerged from the extensive baseline assessment of the Hare Catchment, situated in Gamo Zone, the Rift Valley Lakes Basin, South Ethiopia Region which is one of the five hotspot areas identified for preparation and implementation of Catchment Management Plan under the BRIGHT Project.
It was explained that the workshop provides a platform not only to share findings but also to align expectations and responsibilities among all the key actors who have a stake in the management of the catchment.
On behalf of the funding agency, Ms. Lisan Bijdevaate, First Secretary for Water at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in her keynote speech underlined the need for collective responsibility and cooperation. She stressed that the transformation of project plans into visible and lasting results requires strong partnerships and ownership. She added that a solution for IWRM cannot be generated from one institution or one actor alone, but must emerge from collaborative efforts that bring together governments, donors, communities, and the private sector. According to her, workshops such as this one are critical opportunities to plan together, listen to one another, and build mutual trust required for collective action.
Dr. Gete Zeleke expressed WLRC’s strong commitment to making the Hare Catchment a model learning watershed, where best practices in IWRM will be incubated and later scaled up to other parts of the country, and he called for the local administration and communities to own and lead the process with the technical and financial support from WLRC and MoWE.
On behalf of MoWE, Senior Advisor to the Water and Energy Minister with Rank of State Minister rank, H.E. Mr. Motuma Mekassa, in his official opening speech, highlighted that IWRM has become one of the top priority issues for the Ethiopian government. He stated that the Ministry was committed to supporting the BRIGHT Project and stressed that effective water resources management is vital not only for environmental protection but also for national development and community livelihoods.
The Hare Catchment, which spans three woredas in different agroecological zones within the Rift Valley Lakes Basin, has been identified as a critical area where both environmental degradation and development opportunities are present. The assessment showed the urgent need for targeted restoration, improved institutional coordination, and inclusive approaches that engage communities in both planning and implementation. Key findings and proposed interventions were presented under 17 sub-themes and the contents were enriched by plenary and group discussions. Certificates of acknowledgement were presented to Arba Minch University and Arba Minch Town Mayor’s Office for supporting the baseline assessment by availing access to the Gercha Highland Fruits Research Centre and for facilitating access to fuel needed for the fieldwork, respectively.
The validation workshop brought together more than 100 participants, representing MoWE, WLRC, regional water bureaus, zonal and woreda water offices, universities, city administrations, and local government structures. The outcomes of the workshop are expected to guide the implementation of effective and inclusive interventions in the Hare Catchment and to provide important lessons that will be adapted and scaled up in the other four hotspot catchments covered by the BRIGHT Project.