Ethiopia is hosting the first-ever International Hydromet Conference in Addis Ababa which opened on Monday morning in the presence of the FDRE Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Temesgen Truneh

Organized by the Ministry of Water and Energy (MoWE), the conference is being held under the theme “Ethiopian Green Legacy Initiative: The Imperative for Water Resources Management in the Region”.

Manipur’s Dr Bakimchandra Oinam, Professor and Head of the Civil Engineering Department of the National Institute of Technology Manipur was invited by the Ministry of Water and Energy to take part in one of the high-level panel discussions involving climate scientists, ambassadors, policymakers from neighbouring countries of Ethiopia.

On the second day, Dr. Bakimchandra Oinam made a presentation highlighting various research activities being undertaken by the research group in Manipur, especially in the Manipur River Basin. ‘It’s more of a lesson learnt … and sharing the experience to the Ethiopian Green Legacy Initiative Project under Ministry of Water and Energy’, informed Dr. Bakimchandra from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

He also interacted with the Ambassador of India to Ethiopia in the panel discussions where they shared their experiences on how India successfully managed the Transboundary river water with neighbouring countries.

Dr. Bakimchandra also highlighted various afforestation program initiatives taken by the Government of India like the Green India Mission, and Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act 2016.

It is to be noted that India has a longstanding experience in watershed management and the development and management of afforestation programmes. A lot has been achieved including the implementation of restoration interventions on degraded land; reduced soil erosion, increased groundwater level and improved soil quality; increased food security by promoting perennial crop growth etc.

Dr. Bakimchandra touched upon the lessons that Ethiopia can learn from the successful examples of watershed management in India. As Ethiopia has more transboundary basins, Dr. Bakimchandra spoke about what impacts watershed management can have on the downstream nations.

 Opening the Conference, Mr. Temesgen underscored that the Green Legacy Initiative played a vital role in restoring water bodies and increasing groundwater recharging, in addition to improving forest cover and protecting soil erosion.

“Over the past six years, the program has led to the planting of 40 billion seedlings, positively impacting the environment, bolstering food security, and creating jobs. This initiative has also contributed significantly to water resource sustainability,” Temesgen said.

He pointed out the need to establish a reliable early warning system to mitigate climate change.

The Ministry of Water and Energy’s leadership in organizing the conference is commendable, exemplifying cooperation and commitment to sustainable development, Temesgen noted.

Habtamu Itefa, Minister of Water and Energy, underlined that the Green Legacy Initiative has a positive spillover effect on neighbouring countries in improving water resources in quantity and quality since most rivers of Ethiopia flow out of the country.

Besides the Green Legacy Initiative, modernizing the hydrometeorological infrastructure is crucial to tackling climate change, he underscored.

On the other hand, Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Girma Amente said that the Green Legacy helped the country to promote green culture.

He underlined that thousands of farmers are benefiting from the initiative.

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