Ethiopia: Lake Tana Water Hyacinth Removal Highlights Regional Environmental Progress

By Yohannes Lilalem

July 25,2026

Bahir Dar, (AMECO)— The Amhara Regional Environment and Forest Protection Authority cleared 2,800 hectares of invasive water hyacinth (Emboch) from Lake Tana during the 2018 Ethiopian fiscal year, regional officials announced during an annual performance review in Bahir Dar.

The meeting focused on evaluating key outcomes from the 2018 fiscal year while outlining inter-agency operational strategies for the upcoming 2019 fiscal year.

Forestry Revenue and Conservation Milestones

Presenting the performance report, Teshome Agmas, Deputy Head of the Authority, highlighted several major environmental achievements:

• Environmental Compliance: Approved environmental impact documentation and issued operational certificates for more than 6,000 development projects across the region.

• Forestry Revenue: Generated 210 million ETB from forest development and resource management initiatives.

• Conservation Expansion: Advanced the formal transition of Wof Washa Forest from a protected forest area into a national park.

• Lake Tana Rehabilitation: Cleared 2,800 hectares of water hyacinth while establishing preventive physical buffers along the shoreline to halt further weed encroachment.

Mr. Teshome noted that while security challenges created operational obstacles throughout the fiscal year, inter-institutional collaboration enabled the continuation of core environmental, urban sanitation, and conservation efforts.

Zonal Interventions and Urban Enforcement

Complementary initiatives across neighboring administrative zones and municipal centers were also detailed during the review:

• Shoreline Ecosystem Restoration: Kassaye Smegne, Head of the Central Gondar Zone Environment and Forest Protection Office, reported that clearing operations spanned multiple lake-adjacent woredas (districts). To prevent weed re-emergence, cleared shoreline sites were systematically replanted with native vegetation.

• Municipal Waste Management: Tsigereda Abebe, Head of the Bahir Dar City Administration Environmental Protection, Sanitation, and Beautification Office, highlighted stricter enforcement regarding solid and liquid waste disposal, enhanced pollution controls, and ongoing Green Legacy reforestation activities. Community outreach was coupled with legal enforcement against non-compliant entities.

Looking ahead to the 2019 fiscal year, regional officials committed to resolving existing operational gaps, expanding multi-agency partnerships, and encouraging direct community involvement in environmental protection.