On the 10th of June 2022, ACEWM held a public seminar titled ‘Sustainable water management in the Nile basin region: The contribution of water science technology (WST) and Great Ethiopian Renaissances Dam (GERD)’. The seminar was given by Prof., Dr.-Ing Esayas Alemayehu, Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Jimma University.

The lecture highlighted the recent and ongoing research-based interventions, such as hybrid adsorption and desalination technologies that complement natural freshwater and advanced oxidation processes with a specific focus on its contribution to new knowledge and potential solutions to the region’s water scarcity issues.

During the presentation, Prof.Esayas indicated that the Nile Basin Countries have abundant water resources yet, countries along the basin still face considerable freshwater crises. According to his presentation, the main reason causing the water crisis can sum up to inefficient water management practices due to poor awareness of water resources issues, the rapid population growth with unmatching water supply needs, and the very low levels of modern energy. Prof.Esayas proposed that the use of hydropower for generating electricity and driving water treatment technologies can potentially be a sustainable solution to the region’s water crisis issue.
The lecture also covered the contribution of the Great Ethiopian Renaissances Dam (GERD) to ensure reliable alternative water resources and achieve a more sustainable form of development.
Prof., Dr.-Ing Esayas Alemayehu is a distinguished academic with extensive teaching and research experience in the area of water and environmental engineering with about 150 scientific publications. Currently, he isa Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Jimma institute of Technology (JiT) and an adjunct Professor at ACEWM.