Towards a Land Administration Approach to Water Resource Management in Ethiopia with Particular Focus on Lake Tana Watershed

Abstract

Sound water resource management is critical for Ethiopia to protect water bodies and wetlands as well as tap these resources for better socio-economic development. However, water resource management has faced challenges in Ethiopia. This article examines whether water resources could be better managed through an innovative way of integrating their management and administration with land administration in line with the principle of Integrated Water Resource Management and sustainable land management. Doctrinal analysis of laws pertaining to water and land management is applied to this end. Primary data collection methods were also applied through questionnaire survey, in-depth interview, and focus group discussion. The article discusses the general role of sustainable water resource management in the protection of the country’s water bodies and examines the critical gaps under the present fragmented natural resource management system. A conceptual framework is developed to highlight the relationship between the principle of sustainable water resource management and land management. The existing natural resource management in Ethiopia is unsustainable and hence it is argued that a land administration approach can enhance water resource management in an integrated, holistic, and sustainable fashion by focusing on Lake Tana Watershed.