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The Awash River (sometimes spelled Awaash; Oromo language: Awaash or Hawaas, Amharic: ዐዋሽ, Afar language: Hawaash We'ayot, Somali language: Webiga Dir, Italian language: Auasc) is a major river of Ethiopia. Its course is entirely contained within the boundaries of Ethiopia and empties into a chain of interconnected lakes that begins with Lake Gargori and ends with Lake Abbe (or Abhe Bad) on the border with Djibouti, about from the head of the Gulf of Tadjoura. The Awash River is the principal stream of an endorheic drainage basin covering parts of the Amhara Region, Oromia and , as well as the southern half of the Afar Region. The Awash River basin, spanning 23 administrative zones, covers 10% of Ethiopia's area.
The basin usually has two rainy seasons, a shorter one around March ( Belg), and a longer one between June and September ( Kiremt), which partly fall into one longer rainy season. Climate change is predicted to increase the water deficiency in all seasons and for parts of the basin, due to a projected increase in temperature and decrease in precipitation. Text was copied from this source, which is available under a
The Awash River basin is the most developed, utilized, abused, impacted, and most populous (over 15% or nearly 18.6 million out of 120 million) basin in Ethiopia (as of 2021). Text was copied from this source, which is available under a Rapid growth of agriculture, industries and urbanization within the basin, as well as population growth is placing increasing demands on the basin's water resources. The main sources of water pollution in the upper Awash basin come from industrial and urban wastes, agricultural runoff (, ), and sewage discharge. Water pollution industries in the basin include tanneries, paint factories, , Textile industry, Brewery, soft drink factories, sugar factories, hospitals, and pharmaceuticals.
The Awash Valley (and especially the Middle Awash) is internationally famous for its high density of hominin fossils, offering unparalleled insight into the early Human evolution. "Lucy", one of the most famous early hominin fossils, was discovered in the lower Awash Valley. For its palaeontological and anthropological importance, the lower valley of the Awash was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1980.
The Awash rises south of Mount Warqe, west of Addis Ababa in the woreda of Dendi, close to the town of Ginchi, West Shewa Zone, Oromia. After entering the bottom of the Great Rift Valley, the Awash flows south to loop around Mount Zuqualla in an easterly then northeasterly direction, before entering Koka Reservoir. There, water is used for the irrigation of sugar cane plantations. Downstream, the Awash passes the city of Adama and the Awash National Park. It is then joined on its left bank by its chief affluent, the Germama River (or Kasam) River, before turning northeast at approximately as far north as 12° before turning completely east to reach lake Gargori.
Other Tributary of the Awash include (in order upstream): the Logiya River, Mille River, Borkana River, Ataye River, Hawadi River, Kabenna River and . Towns and cities along its course include Metehara, Awash, Gewane and Asaita.
There are tributary rivers, lakes, , and in the Middle Awash Basin.
Rapid growth of agriculture, industries and urbanization within the Awash basin, as well as population growth is placing increasing demands on the basin’s water resources. The basin is known for high climate variability involving droughts and floods, and climate change will likely intensify the existing challenges. Future water management strategies needs to be inclusive of all sectors and consider the equity for different users.
Flood adaption measures have been investigated and one of the recommendations is to use "land-use planning that is 'flood-centric' in its thinking and approach .... This means identifying (and protecting) flood zones near build-up areas and identifying zones that can be allowed to flood to absorb the impact of extreme events."
The Awash Basin is a densely populated and industrialized area where numerous enterprises rely on groundwater for their operation. Therefore, the majority of human development initiatives in the basin will continue to depend heavily on the quantity and quality of groundwater. Groundwater management requires proactive measures due to the global challenges posed by rapid population growth, urbanization, climate change, and various human activities.
The basin's vegetation has a strong anthropogenic impact. All over the upper and central Awash basin, remains of different savanna types are still clearly visible. They range from thorn savannas in the lower rift, bush, grass and open savannas above 800 m and woody savannas on the escarpments and the highlands.Knoche, M. (2011): Hydrological Modelling of the Upper Awash Catchment (Main Ethiopian Rift). Master thesis, Technische Universität Freiberg, 2011, Freiberg, Germany
Forestry hardly exists inside the Awash River basin, with a few exceptions of small eucalyptus plantations. Outside of Awash National Park the open and woody savannas have been almost completely cultivated with crops. This especially accounts for all escarpment terraces. Thereby the scattered tree cover remained similar to the primary state of the savannas, while the grass layer has been replaced by crops. Only highest altitudes still show connected woodlands. Partly reforestation was carried out on not cultivable altitudes with secondary coniferous forests. The cultivated crops are (endemic) Eragrostis tef, maize, Sorghum bicolor, beans and vegetables.
hardly exist where agriculture is possible. The cattle graze on field edges and waysides and on steep escarpments. This is one major reason for erosion, because vegetation cover is partly destroyed. Stubble-grazing is a common practice in the Awash basin.
Recurrent extreme wet and dry weather events challenge economic activities in the basin. The large portion of rural poor engaged in rainfed agriculture in the drought-prone marginal lands located in the middle and lower reaches of the basin suffer greatly from recurring drought.
Climate variability already has a severe impact on populations and economic productivity in the Awash basin. Severe droughts in the basin have led to a significant depression of crop yields and death of livestock, resulting in increases in Food security. A modest (5%) decrease in rainfall was estimated to reduce the basin’s gross domestic product (GDP) 5%, with a 10% decrease in agricultural productivity. Text was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License Humanitarian assistance requests are relatively common due to Extreme weather, such as the 2015/2016 El Niño events which resulted in a severe drought and a humanitarian response targeting over 10 million people nationally, with many priority districts located in the Awash basin.
Growing industrialization and urbanization in the Awash River basin has severely damaged the ecosystem due to the toxins discharged into water bodies. The main sources of water pollution in the upper Awash River basin come from industrial and urban wastes, agricultural runoff (, ), and sewage discharge. Both anthropogenic and geogenic activities contribute to the observed water quality degradation. The term geogenic refers to naturally occurring contamination through tectonic, clay, volcanic ash, and sand weathering phenomena.
Heavy metal pollution in the surface water has become a growing concern for the environment and people’s health. Water pollution industries in the Awash River basin include tanneries, paint factories, , Textile industry, Brewery, soft drink factories, sugar factories, hospitals, and pharmaceuticals. Wastewater enters the river from cities such as Addis Ababa, Awash 7 Kilo, Ambo, Sebeta, Bishoftu, Gelan, Adama, Modjo. Agricultural runoff may be a cause of heavy metal pollution (As, Cd, Cu, Pb, U, and Zn) in aquatic bodies, and industrial disposal could also lead to high heavy metals concentrations such as As, Cd, Cr, Hg, Ni, Zn, and Pb concentrations.
The presence of emerging organic contaminants in the river water is another concern. These substances include pharmaceuticals, personal care products, industrial byproducts, and agricultural chemicals. High levels of emerging organic contaminants were detected in a study in 2023 in the river and shallow groundwater systems: "Pesticides, veterinary drugs, artificial sweeteners, and personal care products were detected in samples from all sources (surface, ground, and tap water). Endocrine disruptors and equine drugs were found in both surface and groundwater sources."
The river water and shallow groundwater are intrinsically connected. Contaminants in the river water can pollute the groundwater and vice versa. A study in 2024 investigated the characteristics of groundwater in a region of Middle Awash for multipurpose use. It found that contaminants such as arsenic, vanadium, gallium, lithium, rubidium, chromium, manganese, copper, and zinc were found enriched in groundwater near Lake Beseka, majorly influenced by geogenic activities, volcanic ash, and weathering of rocks. Over half of the groundwater sources were unsuitable for drinking, posing significant health risks to local communities that rely heavily on these sources due to limited access to clean surface water.
In the Middle Awash Basin and the country at large, the water quality of most groundwater sources is inadequately monitored and insufficiently regulated. Consequently, areas within the upstream Awash Basin, particularly around Modjo, Bishoftu, Gelan, and Addis Ababa, are highly susceptible to unregulated abstraction and pollution of groundwater.
In 1960, the Koka Dam was completed across the Awash River at a point around from Addis Ababa. With its opening, it became a major source of hydroelectric power in the area. The resulting freshwater lake, Lake Gelila (also known as the Koka Reservoir), has an area of about . Both lake and dam are threatened by increasing sedimentation.
The Awash International Bank is named after the Awash River.
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