Akaki River

Last updated
Akaki River
Akaki River
Location
Country Ethiopia
Regions Oromia, Addis Ababa
Physical characteristics
Source Ethiopian Highlands via Sendafa River
  locationBerek Terara/Mount Rufi
  coordinates 9°12′52″N38°59′38″E / 9.21444°N 38.99389°E / 9.21444; 38.99389
  elevation3,183 m (10,443 ft)
Mouth Awash River
  coordinates
8°37′18″N38°45′7″E / 8.62167°N 38.75194°E / 8.62167; 38.75194
  elevation
1,811 m (5,942 ft)
Length108 km (67 mi) [1]
Basin size1,682 km2 (649 sq mi) [1]
Discharge 
  locationMouth [1]
  average10.4 m3/s (370 cu ft/s)
  minimum1.43 m3/s (50 cu ft/s)
  maximum49.4 m3/s (1,740 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Progression AwashLake Abbe
River system Awash Basin
CitiesAddis Ababa, Sendafa
Population7,080,000 [2]
Tributaries 
  leftSendafa River
WaterbodiesAba-Samuel Reservoir, Legedadi Reservoir

The Akaki is a river in central Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It is a right tributary of the Awash River.

Contents

The Akaki River happens to also be the largest river in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. However, many do not notice it due to the thick forest cover veiling it, and its apparent loss of interest as it is devoid of the normal river fauna, and the flora is limited to weeds at the edges or trees on the riverbank.

Two smaller rivers join the Akaki at the Aba-Samuel reservoir. [3] These two rivers are the Little Akaki and the Great Akaki; the former is on the western side of the Akaki and the latter is on the east.

Pollution

The city of Addis Ababa has made the Akaki its waste disposal site. This puts the rural population living on the fringes of the city at risk since the Akaki is a source of drinking water for them.

Avifauna

The Akaki is vital for numerous bird species. The Akaki–Aba-Samuel wetlands have been identified by Birdlife International as a crucial staging ground for winter migratory bird species. The wetlands have been known to support as many as 20,000 water birds. [3]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Lehner, Bernhard; Verdin, Kristine; Jarvis, Andy (2008-03-04). "New Global Hydrography Derived From Spaceborne Elevation Data" . Eos, Transactions American Geophysical Union. 89 (10): 93–94. doi:10.1029/2008eo100001. ISSN   0096-3941.
  2. Liu, L., Cao, X., Li, S., & Jie, N. (2023). GlobPOP: A 31-year (1990-2020) global gridded population dataset generated by cluster analysis and statistical learning (1.0) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10088105
  3. 1 2 "Akaki River". Gadaa. Archived from the original on 25 February 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2013.