August 31, 2025
Ms. Lisan Bijdevaate, First Secretary for Water Affairs at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ethiopia, visited the Hare Integrated Catchment Management (HICM) hotspot in the Rift Valley Lakes Basin, accompanied by Aytenew Endashaw, Policy Officer at the EKN Addis Ababa, Dr. Mamaru Moges, BRIGHT Project Manager, and chairpersons and community members of the kebeles in the catchment.
The visit was led by Dr Yilikal Anteneh from the Water and Land Resources Center. The Team observed the lower, middle and upstream parts of Hare catchment, including land degradation sites, gully formation, eroded lands, downstream siltation, damaged irrigation canals, irrigation fields, wetland degradation and proliferation of water hyacinth along the Lake Abbaya shoreline. They also discussed with the affected local communities to get their opinions on the extent of the issues, the nature and level of community responses, and possible cooperation with the BRIGHT initiative.
Hare Catchment is one of the five hotspot sub-project sites selected for implementing the sub-basin management plan to illustrate the application of IWRM under the BRIGHT project.
In her closing reflection, Ms. Lisan noted that the BRIGHT project has successfully identified suitable intervention sites for IWRM and encouraged the team to act immediately on key strategic problems.
Sep 6, 2025,
On September 6, 2025, the BRIGHT project catchment management team had a one-day meeting at Chano Dorga Kebele with leaders of the downstream communities of Chano Shara, Chano Dorga, Chano Mile, and Chano Chaliba. The main purpose of the discussion was to set up the framework for the next community consultation regarding the BRIGHT project’s quick-win interventions throughout the Hare catchment. Participants in the consultation included kebele development leaders, water user association leaders, kebele chairpersons, and influential persons in those kebeles. The BRIGHT initiative was brought up during the conversation, and Dr. Yilikal Anteneh expressed the expectations from BRIGHT, kebele leaders, communities, and government sectors. All the participants highlighted the importance and urgency of interventions by the BRIGHT project and expressed their commitment to fully participate in the project activities. They also promised to lead the community consultation and community mobilization. The discussion was concluded with an agreement to start the community consultation and mobilization immediately after the Ethiopian New Year.