MSBs-Energy-Waste Sector Awareness Creation Workshop
Logiya, Gewane, Metehara, Koka and Ziway
Awareness creation workshop organized by the project “Promoting Migratory Soaring Birds (MSBs) conservation considerations in energy infrastructure deployment in relation to waste disposal in urban centers in Ethiopia” were held in Logia and Gewane towns in Afar region, Eastern part of the Central Rift valley and Metehara, Koka and Batu/Ziway towns in Oromia Region, Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia.
The workshop aims to create awareness of leaders and experts working in municipalities, district electricity utilities and Natural Resource Offices Logia, Gewane, Metehara, Koka and Ziway towns. The i workshops were attended by district administration representatives, municipalities heads, waste management experts, heads and engineers of Electricity Utilities Centers of the towns, Natural resource and environmental protection office exports, urban agriculture offices experts as well as culture and tourism representatives and private sectors.
The workshop enabled participants know the challenges MSBs and other birds facing along the Red Sea/ Rift valley flyway and the urgency of conserving MSBs and all birds. The waste management sector and electricity utilities have attended the workshop and reflected their views on killing of y MSBs/birds and interruption of energy supply due to problems associated poor urban waste disposal and bird-unsafe energy infrastructures. In the awareness creation workshop the following points were raised and discussed,
- World Bird species resource of the world, the horn of Africa
- MSBs/birds flyway
- Migration of Birds
- Importance of birds
- Challenges MSBs/ birds facing along the flyway and sectors posing fatal accidents
- Attempt to reduce birds’ fatality
- Mortality of MSBs/birds, Urban waste disposed and Bird unsafe energy infrastructures
- Integrated waste management concept
- Vultures’ species distribution in the world, Africa and Ethiopia
- Importance of vultures
- Challenges that vultures facing and vulture crises
- Egyptian Vulture and the project to conserve the species
- How to reduce bird fatality caused by Bird-unfriendly infrastructures
Logia/ Semera
The awareness creation workshop was conducted in 12 April 2022 at Afra Region Culture and Tourism Hall, Semera town. The workshop was attended by Logia sub city administration, culture and tourism waste management experts, experts from electricity utilities centers and Natural resource office.
Discussion was held after the presentations. Participants have acknowledged for the knowledge they acquaint from the workshop. It has enabled them grasp environmental social as well as economic benefits of birds. The participants also mentioned bird watching tourism as one remarked area of the tourism sector that can benefit the country. Some of the participants also mentioned; the presentations enabled them to realize the degree of the problems that birds are facing. Removal of indigenous trees for various reasons, unproper handling of liquid waste which pollute water bodies that water birds use them for feeding, breeding and roosting as well as dumping of flesh of animals in close proximity to bird un-friendly powerlines. They also mentioned observing declining of number of birds and disappearance of species of birds like vulture species from their areas. Participants from Logiya EEU center also agreed on the urgency of protecting birds from dangerous powerlines and showed their interest to work on protecting birds from mortality due to bird un-friendly power-lines as their capacity allow.
Gewane:
In Gewane town low voltage powerline and un bird unfriendly transformers have been identified killing many species of birds. The MSBs -Energy- Waste project undertaken an awareness creation workshop in Gewane town on 14 April 2022. The workshop enabled some participants who didn’t attend the inception workshop to realize the importance of birds and challenges they are facing as well as the need to protect birds from dangers to their survival.
The participants from Gewane district Electric Utility Center (center managers and engineer) who attended the MSB-Energy-Waste project launching told halting of electrocution of birds on one of the transformers because of substitution of the bare phase (cable) by ABC cable. They also promised to replace the bare cables of the other transformers by ABC cable. A private waste collector participant in Gewane town asked support of materials like hand cart. A representative from the municipality also raised about financial and technical support to establish an environmentally friendly waste damping site for the town.
Metehara
Several field visit of the low voltage (15KV) powerlines extending across the Beseka Lake and urban waste damping sites showed electrocution of raptors and non- raptor bird species. Carcass damping close to bird feeding, roosting and breeding sites located at close proximity to bird unfriendly powerlines have increased the electrocution of birds in the area. Considering the urgency of reducing electrocution of these birds MSBs-Energy-Waste Project has conducted awareness creation program on 15 April 2022.
The awareness creation program was able to engage heads and experts from Metehara EEU Center, Municipality Waste Management, Natural resource, Agriculture, Health, Culture and Tourism and communication offices. During the discussion held after the presentations, some participants emphasized on the importance of the birds to the wellbeing of nature. On the other hand, they also noticed disappearance of many species of birds that were common in their birth place without recognizing the causes for their disappearance and appreciated the organizer of awareness creation in particular and MSBs-Energy-Waste project (EWNHS) for organizing the program.
The participants are also recognized dumping of carcasses by the livestock dealers from their cattle stay and feed yards found near Lake Beseka which are located very close to the bird un friendly powerlines and frequent electrocution different species of birds. Keeping away any kind of waste from the areas around Lake Beseka which is a home for many bird’s species was raised as one important step to protect birds from electrocution. To this effect, the participants reminded the waste management office to control dumping of wastes, elsewhere close to Lake Beseka.
Koka
Koka Lake is one of the lakes in the central rift valley of Ethiopia. Many bird species use the Lake as feeding, roosting and breeding site. The Lake is also known for the fishing activities which is an important means income for many of the local people. However due to unproper damping of waste from filleted fishes and existence of low voltage (15KV) powerline close to Lake area deaths of many raptor and non-raptor bird species have been reported. After a kick of meeting of the MSBs-Energy-Waste project in Koka- Ejersa town.
MSB-Energy-Waste awareness creation was conducted on 20 April 2022. Participants from waste management office, small and micro finance enterprises organizing office, EEU center representative leaders and members of fishery associations were participated in the program.
The fisher men witnessed frequent electrocution of different bird’s species. The birds are due to fish wastes damped close to the bird-unsafe low voltage powerlines and requested the experts represented from the Mayer office to allocate a filleting site which is far from the dangerous powerlines and the mayor ordered the experts work with member of the fishery association to look for an appropriate filleting site.
Batu/ Ziway:
In Batu/ Ziway town electrocution of birds has been reported by team of experts engaged in assessment of dangerous powerlines in Eastern and Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia. After the report MSBs-Energy-Waste project which engaged experts from EEU Center, Municipality Waste Management, Natural resource, Agriculture, Health, Culture and Tourism and communication offices and town administration, was launched. During the launching workshop participants, informed electrocution of many birds in different parts of the town. The major causes for electrocution is removal of suitable tree specie for nesting and availability of acacia tree in the town at close distance to the bird-unsafe energy infrastructures. In continuation of the launching workshop an awareness creation was undertake on 19 April 2022.
The participant appreciated the organizer of the program for letting them know about birds and the challenges they are facing. The representatives from EEU center apricated the major taken by Gewane EEU Center attempts of making transformers bird friendly and promised to consider bird conservation during energy infrastructure developments in the town. Furthermore, representing the municipality requested technical and financial support to implement waste management attempts and support to plant appropriate tree species in areas close to the lake.
