Officials at the Ministry of Water & Energy (MoWE) are proposing major land use changes near rivers and lakes. A new bill outlines buffer zones that could restrict farming, housing, and industry, with hopes of combating rising water pollution.

The proposed regulations could alter the landscape, particularly in urban areas where homes within meters of rivers face potential demolition. Farmers may be forced to relocate or change their practices, while industries, particularly those discharging waste, will face stricter compliance.

The draft Riparian Buffer Zone Delimitation, Development, and Conservation Proclamation introduces three buffer zones, controlled, restricted, and very restricted, each imposing different levels of restrictions on activities such as farming and waste disposal.

Under the new law, rivers in urban areas must have a buffer zone of two to six metres, while lakes require up to 250 metres or more. Farming and ploughing will be banned in these areas, except for non-polluting crops such as fruits and vegetables.

In the controlled riparian zone, activities such as dumping or burying hazardous chemicals, disposing of solid or liquid waste, open defecation, building without waste management systems, operating a car wash without liquid waste treatment, cutting trees, clearing vegetation, and unrestricted grazing are prohibited.

The restricted zone imposes stricter rules. It bans all agricultural activities except fruit cultivation, residential construction, and any development apart from tourism facilities with proper waste management. Mining that alters a river’s course or biodiversity, cemetery sites, and car washes are also forbidden. Activities banned in the controlled zone are likewise prohibited here.

The very restricted riparian zone enforces the strictest protections. In addition to all activities banned in the controlled and restricted zones, farming, cattle rearing, construction, and vehicle movement are entirely forbidden.

Houses in urban areas within two to six metres of riversides will be demolished once Parliament approves the law. The draft proclamation is currently under review by the Water, Irrigation, and Lowland Development Affairs Standing Committee.

To divide rivers and lakes into three zones, authorities will consider several factors, including the type of water body, stream order, floodplain boundaries, land slope, natural water sources, urban and rural boundaries, and land use. The Council of Ministers is expected to issue a regulation to formalise these zones.

The federal government will be responsible for delineating rivers and lakes that cross two or more regional states, transboundary water bodies, and dams built with federal funds. Regional governments will manage water bodies within their jurisdictions.

Debebe Bedasa, head of Integrated Water Resources Management at the Ministry, said the law aims to address severe pollution in rivers and lakes. Research by the Ministry shows that industrial expansion, chemical use in farming, and soil acidity are causing pollution to rise at an alarming rate. He cited the Akaki River and lakes Tana, Abaya, Koka, Denbel, and Chamo as being at risk.

The Akaki River, the largest river in Addis Abeba, flows into the Aba Samuel Reservoir but has suffered extreme pollution. It has long been used as a waste disposal site.

“Pollution has made Akaki lifeless. No organism can survive in it,” said Debebe. “It is so polluted that life cannot exist even for seconds.”

Lakes Tana, Abaya, Koka, Denbel, and Chamo face the threat of invasive water hyacinth weeds. This fast-spreading plant is drying up water sources and reducing water quality, putting these lakes in danger.

Debebe says farming near lakes and the use of chemicals are the main causes of the weed’s spread. Fertilisers and agricultural chemicals act as nutrients, feeding the invasive plant and accelerating its growth. Pollution from agriculture is severe, as these chemicals, meant to boost crop yields, end up in lakes and fuel the expansion of weeds.

The law will also restrict sand extraction from rivers. Debebe explains that unregulated sand mining along riverbanks causes erosion, flooding, and pollution. Sand naturally filters waste from water, and its removal worsens contamination.