#SaveLakeTanaAfricaAmhara Regional StateBahir DarEthiopiaNews

News: Global Coalition for Lake Tana Restoration donates second water Hyacinth harvester

The newly delivered water Hyacinth harvester donated by the Global Coalition for Lake Tana Restoration

By Siyanne Mekonnen

Addis Abeba, August 25/2020 – Members of the Global Coalition for Lake Tana Restoration have traveled to Bahir Dar, the capital of Amhara regional state, to donate a water Hyacinth harvester to the Amhara regional state.

First spotted in 2011, reports indicate that “the dangerous aquatic weed currently covers over 197 km in seven districts of the Amhara region and continues to expand rapidly.”

According to the the association, which is based in the United States and England, Ethiopian diaspora community including the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church (EOTC) in Washington D.C., raised the money to buy the machine at a cost of some US$161.310 (5.8 million birr). The machine has 75 horse power capacity and can mow 28 meter cube weed at a time.

In a statement sent to Addis Standard, the Coalition stated that it will continue to combat the spread of water hyacinth which continued affecting Lake Tana. The association’s director, Dr. Solomon Kibret said that there was another Water Hyacinth Harvester currently being assembled in Canada and that it will be sent soon after its completion. Dr. Solomon urged the Amhara regional state to utilize the Hyacinth harvesters effectively in order to clear Lake Tana off of the aggressive water hyacinth.

This is the second time the Global Coalition for Lake Tana Restoration has made similar supply of the machine to Lake Tana.  It has also been providing technical support in the form of training staffs on the ground.  A team which consists of experts from the region’s Environmental Protection Bureau and the University of Bahir Dar was sponsored by the association to attend a training on methods of eliminating water hyacinth in Uganda. 

The Global Coalition for Lake Tana Restoration is a non profit organization founded by the Ethiopian diaspora community. Volunteers are mostly environmentalists and hydrologists who came together to contribute to their communities back home. AS

Download the First Edition of Our Quarterly Journal
Show More

Related Articles

Back to top button
Close

Adblock Detected

please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker