1. Managing drought and water
scarcity: evidence from social
research in the Awash River basin
Dr Catherine Fallon Grasham, University of Oxford
catherine.grasham@ouce.ox.ac.uk

2. REACH Water Security and Poverty Conference
27-29 March | Keble College, Oxford
SOCIAL RESEARCH RATIONALE
• 3 SELECTED WOREDAS
– Upper
– Middle
– Lower
• DIFFERENT
LIVELIHOOD AND
AGROECOLOGICAL
ZONES
• COLLECT RISK
PERCEPTIONS
• EXPLORE RISK
MANAGEMENT
Bora
Fentale
Dubti
Stakeholders
Urban and
rural
communities
Industrial
water users

3. REACH Water Security and Poverty Conference
27-29 March | Keble College, Oxford
2015 DROUGHT RESPONSE
• STRONG FOOD SECURITY
RESPONSE
– 10 million people were in need of food
aid due to the 2015/16 El Niño event
(WFP, 2016)
– Research participants across the basin
reporting sufficient access to food during
2015 drought
– PSNP contributor to drought resilience (8
million beneficiaries in 2015)

4. REACH Water Security and Poverty Conference
27-29 March | Keble College, Oxford
BRIDGING DISCONNECTS FOR DROUGHT RISK
PREVENTION
• POLICY AND PRACTICE
– E.g. enforcing drought year water
allocation plans
• SECTORS
– E.g. Disaster Risk Management and
Water Resources Management
• SCALES
– E.g. Federal and regional
Drought
Risks
Health
Income
Loss of
assets
Education

5. REACH Water Security and Poverty Conference
27-29 March | Keble College, Oxford
URBAN WATER SUPPLIES FOR RESILIENT
COMMUNITIES
• LIVELIHOODS
– Urban industry, small and medium
enterprises, urban agriculture, household
enterprise activities
• LIVESTOCK
– Drink from rural and urban water
supplies
• LARGE INDUSTRIAL WATER USERS
– Using urban water supplies for
production; even those outside of urban
areas with their own boreholes for water
for production were usually trucking in
water for drinking from the local town for
their employees.
• PROXIMAL RURAL COMMUNITIES
– Urban water supplies are often better
quality and more reliable – routinely
accessed by rural dwellers

6. REACH Water Security and Poverty Conference
27-29 March | Keble College, Oxford
OPPORTUNITIES FOR CLIMATE RESILIENCE
WITH URBAN WATER SUPPLY MANAGEMENT
• URBAN WATER USE
– Understanding multiple uses and
unanticipated human behaviour
• DROUGHT AND DRY SEASON
DEMAND INCREASES
– All three woredas reported trucking
water into rural areas from urban water
supplies at times of drought/severe water
scarcity
– From livestock when other sources dry
up
• ENERGY SOURCE
– Electricity interruptions, lack of access
to/affordability of gasoline

7. Funded by: