WLRC-GCRF facilitates stakeholders’ training workshop on miniSASS (mini-Stream Assessment Scoring System), a citizen science tool for river water quality management on 4 June 2022 at Solo Te Hotel, Addis Ababa. The objective of the training is to build the capacity of stakeholders to monitor the health of rivers.

At the opening of the workshop the Deputy Director of WLRC, AAU Dr. Tena Alamirew states that the problems in water sources and rivers in Addis Ababa at the Awash Basin are highly devastated due to scarcity, pollution, and flooding that demand the immediate intervention of many stakeholders. To this end, WLRC, AAU in collaboration with the Newcastle University Water Security and Sustainable Development Hub Project works on improving water security for resilient future on Abay, Awash and Central Rift Valley Basins. As a part of the project activities, this capacity building workshop on miniSASS tool organized for upper Awash Basin stakeholders aimed to enable the entire citizen to be scientists who can assess the health of the rivers.
The participants of the workshop are from MoWE, Ministry of Industry, Federal EPA, Addis Ababa Water and Sewerage Authority, Addis Ababa Health office, Addis Ababa EPA, Oromia WEB, Addis Ababa city administration urban beautification and green development office, and schools in Addis Ababa.
Papers presented in the workshop were focused on the current socio-economic and health-related issues in the upper Awash Basin. The workshop encompasses two days of field demonstration and a one-day action plan for intervention preparation in addition to today’s presentations.