Piloting the source-to-lake approach in Lake Hawassa

Lake Hawassa is the endpoint of an endorheic hydrological system, with limited groundwater outflow. Erosion has increased dramatically, largely due to expansion of agriculture and sand mining, and has resulted in the loss of neighbouring Lake Cheleleka. Plastic pollution to the lake is also growing alongside increases in population and use of plastic products in the region.

The closed nature of the sub-basin allows the application of the source-to-sea (or in this case, source-to-lake) approach to be used to address some of the bottlenecks that are inhibiting appropriate sediment and solid waste management in the basin. The film describes the approach, its outcome, and discusses potential challenges and how to address them.