Participatory approach towards hydrological and meteorological monitoring for improved rainwater management in the Blue Nile Basin of Ethiopian Highlands Authors: Zemadim, Birhanu [IWMI]; McCartney, Matthew [IWMI]; Langan, Simon [IWMI]; Sharma, Bharat [IWMI] Poster presented at the Mauritius Academy of Science and Technology (MAST), Ebene, Mauritius, 28-31 March 2012.

1. Participatory Approach Towards Hydrological and
Meteorological Monitoring for Improved Rainwater
Management in the Blue Nile Basin of Ethiopian Highlands
Birhanu Zemadim1, Matthew McCartney1, Simon Langan1 and Bharat Sharma2
1International Water Management Institute (IWMI), East Africa and Nile Basin Office, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
W
2 IWMI, New Delhi, India, * E-mail of corresponding author b.zemadim@cgiar.org
INTRODUCTION
A Monitoring of hydrological and meteorological variables from catchments is one of the major tasks in the field of
hydrology and water resources
T Observed hydrological and meteorological data are the basis for progress in hydrological science and practice
High quality hydrological data are needed to support decision-making about rainwater management and water
allocation, especially in relation to the spatial and temporal distribution of stream flows and upstream and
E downstream dry season irrigation demands
R METHODS
A watershed was chosen as an environmental unit to study and design an Integrated Rainwater Management System
(IRMS)
Soil moisture probes, automatic and manual water level gauges, a weather station, ordinary rain gauges and shallow
ground water monitoring devices were installed
C Factors considered: land use and land cover, topography, the drainage pattern, agronomic conditions, local climate
patterns (based on indigenous knowledge), and equipment safety and accessibility
RESULTS
O
N
F
E
Training local observers
R Ground water monitoring
CONCLUSION
Recorded rainfall and GW data
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
E The monitoring stations provide baseline information
on hydrological processes
Relevant stakeholders and communities were engaged in the
Authors would like to thank CPWF for the
financial support. We are also thankful to MoWE
establishment of the networks
N The participatory approach instill trust and goodwill amongst the
community and contribute to the flow of knowledge between
and NMA staff who greatly contributed to the
establishment of equipments and offering
standard data archiving protocols. National
researchers and the communities and vice-versa
C The three research catchments are probably the most
sophisticated hydrological experimental monitoring networks
universities (Ambo, Wollega and Bahir Dar) also
deserve special thanks for their continuous
engagement in the work
E established in Ethiopia to date