Rural water supply management and sustainability in Ethiopia with special emphasis on water suplly schemes in Adama area

Ethiopia is situated at the area where the weather is complimented with relatively higher amount of rainfall. This has given the country with enormous water resource potential. Accordingly, it was estimated that the country has an annual surface runoff of 122 billion cubic meters of water (EWRMP, 2001). The country's groundwater potential has been estimated to be 2.6 billion m3 (ADF, 2005). In spite of this immense water resource potential, sizable proportion of the country used to have faced uneven water distribution and inconsistency of its accessibility in terms of time and space (IMWI, 2007). \ud The major sources of drinking water for the vast majority of the rural population (84% of the country total) in Ethiopia are surface run offs represented by unprotected springs, ponds, rivers, and hand dug wells whose health risk is significant as they are exposed to contamination caused by human beings, livestock, wildlife and uncontrolled flooding. The research Questions to be assessed involve: the extent community partipcipation and management influence sustainability of safe drinking water supply schemes; the role of other external agencies influence in the management and sustainability of rural water supply schemes and determinants of sustainability in rural water supply system. The case study research method was employed to conduct the study. It involves household survey questionnaire, focus group discussions and key informant interviews as quantitative and qualitative data collection instruments. As for the major findings of the study, the average house hold water consumption rate is short of meeting the national average of 20 liters per person/day. The quality of drinking water has been affected by human feces, livestock, wildlife, uncontrolled flooding and untreated waste water from domestic and agro-industrial activities. Cost sharing has been widely practiced and what matters is water supply system functionality and seasonal fluctuation. It was discovered that the study community members are duly participate in order to sustain the water supply services and befits over time. Based on the study findings, it can be concluded that the community members in the study communities take the lead in initiating the project idea of the water supply scheme. Meanwhile, their participation in decision making related to choice of technology is very limited. Communities need to be given due consideration and wider platform that give them greater opportunity to manage and decide on issues affection their livelihood. The practice of cost sharing is well maintained by user communities and can be shared as a best practice for other communities. An option for additional safe water source has to be considered as the average house hold water consumption rate is short of meeting the national average of 20 liters per person/day. These are major areas that need to be given due emphasis in line with sustaining the study communities water supply services and befits over time