The first Drainage Master Plan for the capital city is being conducting by the Addis Ababa City Roads Authority (AACRA) for controlling flood in a coordinated manner.
Moges Tibebe, Director General of AACRA, said that the master plan project is awarded for Sering Ingegneria, an Italian company based in Palermo with its local partner Metaferia Consulting Engineers as a sub consultant.
“The main objective of the service is to prepare Storm Drainage Master Plan for the city of Addis Ababa to better manage drainage with the aim of protecting infrastructure, preventing economic losses and improving public health and the local environment,” the Director General told Capital.
“The service will include a complete master plan drainage study and preliminary design with the related cost estimates and drawings,” Moges said.
The Drainage Master Plan will serve to obtain design criteria for storm drainage design, to evaluate the existing storm drainage system for adequacy, as a basis for design of proposed structures to improve the storm drainage system of the city, and as a guide/reference to evaluate proposed drainage systems for new developments.
The city has significant elevation difference from Entoto to Akaki that makes massive areas in the city vulnerable to flood, according to Moges.
“Besides that there are other reasons like poor solid waste management of dwellers and destruction occurred when other infrastructures are being developed,” he added.
“Previously we have designed every drainages at the road networks separately that would be consolidated together for sustainable and proper treatment,” he explained the benefit of the master plan, which is the first by its nature.
The master plan design undertaken with the cost of 36 million birr, is supported by the World Bank and is expected to be concluded in the budget year.
“The design will critically show the way forward and indicate what and when how to do in the sector,” Moges says adding “we believe that the master plan will contribute for radical shift on the city’s drainage development.”
The Drainage Master Plan would also consider the City Master Plan.
From time to time flood has become a challenge for some part of the city like Akaki and Nifas Silk Lafto.
“Meanwhile the master plan is done; in parallel we are improving and cleaning the existing drainage systems at the road network on preventive maintenance scheme,” he says. “Under the operation 130 locations are identified and over 80 have already prevented,” he added.
Soil management and stone walled terraces development at the outskirt of the city will be done to reduce siltation and flooding. The deforestation at the hills in the northern part of the city is stated as the reason for the growing of flood disaster in the city. AACRA highly encouraged the green legacy and reforestation at the outskirt of the city to cut challenges.
Meanwhile Sering Ingegneria, established in 1981 is new for Ethiopia, it achieved several projects in different countries including in several countries across Africa.
Metaferia Consulting Engineers established in 1990 is one of the leading consulting firms in Ethiopia and is involved in the fields of water supply and sanitation, water resources management and irrigation, environmental management, agriculture and rural development, roads, railways and bridges, buildings; study design and construction supervision and capacity building.
Addis gets new Drainage Master Plan
INDIVIDUAL SOVEREIGNTY
There is a myriad of perceptible activities in our global operating systems that are determinedly employed to undermine the sovereignty of the individual human being. This process of discounting individual sovereignty starts from early childhood, from the early rearing institutions of school and family. There after, the globally sanctioned institutions of ‘higher learning’ take over the business of indoctrination and brainwashing. These institutions are very influential in preparing the average drone into becoming a passive ‘cog in the wheel’; the modern cannon fodders not excluded. The current protracted process of undermining individuality also leverages, amongst other things, the institutions of mass entertainment. By this, we mean spectator sports, non-documentary films/movies, fake news, etc. Nevertheless, there are now incipient movements that are willing to challenge the intensifying zombification of the masses!
One such movement started about fifty years ago in the United States. It is called ‘Sovereign Citizens’. The organization is now labeled a ‘domestic terrorist’ by the CIA/FBI; nothing new here! But there are certain things in the doctrine of ‘Sovereign Citizens’ that have started to appeal to the average Joe Doe, not only in the US. Incidentally, a disproportionate number of followers of ‘Sovereign Citizens’ were or still are African Americans; again nothing new here. Amongst their fundamental principles we can mention the act of renouncing phony money, i.e., money not backed by any real stuff. Since this column is notoriously known for its stand against phony money, there is no point of belaboring the issue here. It suffices to mention the major consequence or crime of phony money. Its mortal sin is; the continual and significant dilution of earned money obtained by the sweat, blood and tears of the global working stiff! When criminal thugs in suits can print billions or even trillions to undermine/dilute the legitimately acquired income/wealth of the sheeple (human mass), there is bound to be a movement (sooner or later) that will be determined to stop this blatant larceny. As we have been stating all along, such extreme extortion started in 1971, when global currencies became unhinged from gold and became mere ‘fiat’. Since then, those who work to earn their keeps were systemically disfranchised while the parasitic manipulators/connected (Corp, banks, etc.) were rewarded for their destruction of nature and social harmony!
The other thing of the ‘Sovereign Citizens’ that appeals to many people in the world is the concern about the erosion of ‘freedom’, whatever that means. We admit; absolute freedom is an abstraction that doesn’t really hold any water, particularly when examined from the perspective of traditional philosophy. After all, can we really be free of oxygen or water, or certain social constructs? Be that as it may, relative ‘freedom’ still makes sense at the level of operational existence within the human collectives. For instance, freedom of speech must prevail if society wants to stop, amongst other things, the fledging modern criminality of grand political corruption. Truth and facts cannot expose the multitudes of crimes when there is no freedom of speech. Freedom of movement is also an inalienable right of humans, hence should not be unnecessarily curtailed in one form or another. Freedom to assemble is another of the pillars of human civilization. Yet, all these ‘freedoms’ are being eroded by the power that be!
Various researches have pointed out that it is mostly the psychopaths of this world that always crave for control, domination, entitlement, etc., to satisfy their insatiable greed! These individuals lack empathy and have no remorse. They also lack sincerity, hence, continuously lie about all and sundry (to fulfill their selfish objectives). Unfortunately, it is these kinds of humans that dominate politics and other hierarchical organizations, like Corporations (Banks, etc.) Their obsession to control everything under the sky is now leading them into a world of the unreal! The perennial concoction of various scenarios that are based on lies is astounding. The propaganda machine of these elites is working over time and is in fact challenging the rational basis of collective existence, for example, like the scientific methods. Like the sheep we really are, we have given direct/indirect consent to be goaded (by these few psychopaths) to our demise! See the articles next column and on pages 30.
What does this portend? From the point of view of the psychopathic politicos and their masters, it seems the future is to be created along the lines of the old feudalism, albeit with a high tech twist. What does this mean? It means a thoroughly zombified population that blindly obeys whatever is uttered by the manipulative modern elites/states. Don’t forget; the state is, for all practical purposes, the fiefdom of the parasitic elites. To add insult to injury, technology is becoming more and more part of the problem and hardly part of the solution. For instance, according to documents published by a wing of the ruling class in the US, the wars of the 21st century are to be waged mostly using bio-weaponry! Some analysts consider the current plandemic (of course silent ‘l’ is optional here) of Covid-19, to be a dry run; an ingress towards impending melees! Another tech assisted control mechanism that is in the offing is, digital currency. Obviously, it is intended to directly control the resources and financial behavior of the sheeple, there goes another loss of individual sovereignty. Because of these and other reasons, movements like ‘Sovereign Citizens’ or a more nuanced ones, are bound to become more popular, going forward!
Outside of the US, advanced industrial nations tend to be more social and civil in their collective existence. This gives hope that there might be some potential in these countries for cohesive actions, at least when certain boundaries/redlines are crossed. We have seen a glimpse of this recently (this in the last weeks) in Berlin and many other places, but do not expect the MSM (Main Stream Media) to cover such events. More importantly, the system of political governance within these countries allows a bit more leeway than elsewhere, potentially facilitating conditions to tackle serious matters. On the other hand, the hegemon seems to lack the social/institutional infrastructure to truthfully/honestly address major societal problems; it is only theatrics that obtains there. Insurrections might well be the only way out of the current political, economic, social, etc. quagmire! Here is the old objectivist once again: “When you have made evil the means of survival, do not expect men to remain good. Do not expect them to stay moral and lose their lives for the purpose of becoming the fodder of the immoral. Do not expect them to produce, when production is punished and looting rewarded. Do not ask, ‘Who is destroying the world?’ You are.” Ayn Rand (Atlas Shrugged). Good Day!
Earlier operation of GERD will stimulate real GDP growth in the Eastern Nile basin
A new study commissioned by the Ethiopian Economics Association reveals that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has a huge positive impact in the GDP growth for all East African countries.
The report states that the simulation results reveal that GERD operation does stimulate real GDP growth in the Eastern Nile basin (Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt) if it goes operational in 2024 following a four – year filling period (2020 – 2024).
According to the study, the basin-wide annual gain in real GDP due to GERD operation stands at USD 8.07 billion in 2024 relative to the baseline.
When fully operational, the GERD is expected to generate about 15.7 TWh energy per year. This corresponds to an increase in Ethiopia’s hydropower production by 142.7 percent.
The construction of the GERD will also increase Ethiopia’s capital stock by about 6.3 percent, according to the study.
The study indicated that Sudan is expected to benefit from the GERD operation in many respects. “The GERD is expected to trap much of the silt from the Blue Nile river that would otherwise fill up Sudan’s dams and will increase the existing power generated at Roseires, Sennar and Merowe hydropower plants by about 35.5 percent from 8.5 TWh/year to more than 11.6 TWh/year. This corresponds to an increase in hydropower production of 35.4 percent.”
It added that the GERD is also expected to reduce the negative impacts on agriculture as well as economically valuable infrastructure in Sudan caused by recurrent floods. “In addition to saving lives, it is expected that the GERD will help to prevent more than USD 200 million in annual flood risk damage along more than 1,000 km of the Blue Nile River from the Ethiopia-Sudan Border to Khartoum,” the study that refers different previous scientific papers says adding “flood damage risk will also be avoided in cities like Dongola, located far north of Khartoum that experience recurrent and devastating floods.”
The study indicated that the basin-wide gain in real GDP due to GERD operation is in the order of USD 8.07 billion.
Ethiopia earns a staggering USD 6.79 billon of the total basin-wide gain in real GDP induced by GERD operation while Sudan and Egypt earn USD 1.11 billion and USD 0.17 billion gain in real GDP, respectively, according to the study. “Thus, all the Eastern Nile countries are expected to benefit from GERD operation,” it added.
Yet, the distribution of the benefits is highly skewed with Ethiopia amassing 84 percent of the GDP gain followed remotely by Sudan that gains 14 percent of the benefit. Egypt earns a mere 2 percent of the basin – wide gain in GDP.
“This reveals that the GERD involves no potential economic costs on both Egypt and Sudan. Thus, accounting for engineering estimates of GERD’s impact on HAD power generation, the net economy-wide effect is positive for all countries including Egypt, reflecting a win-win outcome. This underscores the fact that the benefits of the GERD should be seen in the wider basin –wide economic perspective,” the report explained.
It has also added that if the filling is concluded in these four years the Ethiopian economy is expected to grow at the rate of 1.5 percent due to GERD operation and similarly, the economy of Sudan expands by 1.2 percent with GERD operating upstream, mainly due to enhanced capital stock resulting from the GERD induced flood damage reduction.
“Reduced sediment load and hence enhanced power generation in Sudan’s power plants induced by GERD operation would also stimulate economic growth in the Sudan. With benefits in terms of improved water use efficiency, the GERD would further improve economic growth in the Sudan. GERD operation does offer significant benefits for Egypt’s economy in terms of increased water supply due to reduced evaporation loss from the HAD, as well as the opportunity for improving water use efficiency as a result of a more regulated flow of water throughout the year. Overall, the results show that GERD operation would enhance Egypt’s economy to a certain extent (0.04%),” it added.
The welfare effects of the GERD, as measured by the equivalent variation (EV), would be substantial, according to the study document, the total welfare gain in the Eastern Nile countries induced by GERD operation is about USD 9.17 billion.
Ethiopia is expected to benefit a welfare gain of about USD 6.83 billion while the Sudan and Egypt are expected to experience a welfare gain of USD 1.17 billion each.
Thus, all the Eastern Nile countries experience a positive welfare change due to GERD operation, although the distribution is uneven with Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt earning 74, 13 and 13 percent of the total welfare gain, respectively.
If the filling and operational period is delayed it would have also economic loss for the three countries according to the study.
It said that the effect of the GERD on real GDP in the Eastern Nile economies varies for different filling period of the dam.
“The gain in real GDP of the Eastern Nile basin declines to USD 5.97 billion when GERD operation is delayed by a year (i.e. it becomes operational in 2025). Extending GERD filling period by three and six years would bring its basin – wide economic significance (in terms of contribution to real GDP) down to USD 5.15 billion and USD 4.15 billion, respectively, from USD 8.07 billion gain in basin – wide real GDP expected to be realized if the GERD is filled in four years (2020 – 2024) period,” the study explained.
Ethiopia’s real GDP gain from the GERD is estimated to decline successively from USD 6.79 billion to USD 3.1 billion if GERD operation is delayed from 2024 to 2030 (i.e. delays by six years). The total loss to Ethiopia in terms of foregone real GDP gains due to delays in GERD operation up to 2030 would be USD 24.68 billion. Sudan and Egypt would lose a total real GDP gain of USD 4.47 billion and USD 790 million, respectively, for the same reason.
“Delaying the GERD operation period would also diminish economic growth in the Eastern Nile countries,” it says adding “extending GERD operation by six years to 2030 diminishes GERD induced economic growth in Ethiopia and Sudan to 0.25 and 0.9 percent, respectively, as compared to 1.5 and 1.2 percent economic growth the countries could achieve if the GERD goes operational in 2024.”
Economic growth rate in Egypt would also oscillate between 0.04 and 0.03 percent and remains, on the average, stable at 0.04 percent for all GERD operation periods considered.
Fight against COVID 19
Different entities provided support for the fight against COVID 19 to the Addis Ababa City Administration.
USAID-Save the Children has extended COVID 19 emergency cash assistance worth 26 million birr to 4,429 households for three months in Addis Ababa in response to the pandemic.
Moreover, 100 Medical oxygen concentrators that are used in hospitals to produce oxygen for patients amounting 10 million birr from Bamacon Engineering as support to the fight against coronavirus.
Ethiopian Industrial Inputs Development Enterprise also extended COVID 19 emergency supply to vulnerable segments of the society through the city Administration.
