Causes and effects of Diminishing water volume in lake chelekleka, bishoftu, ethiopia and strategy for conservation
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Date
200-06
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Addis Ababauniversity
Abstract
This study aimed to examine Causes and Effects of Diminishing Water Volume in Lake
Chelekleka, Bishoftu, Ethiopia and Strategy for Conservation. To meet the objective of the
research, appropriate attention were taken to investigate the land use/cover changes, field
observation, interviews with officials and horticulture farmers. Hence, the results of the study
Shown, extent of the land use/cover change and its effects seen on Chelekleka Lake and its
Swampy areas were very dramatic. That is, majority of the forest land use/covers during the
(1973-2010) in Chelekleka Lake Water Shades and its surroundings were converted to crop
land, settlement, degraded bare lands, and grass lands. This land use types covers much of
the southern, western, Central and eastern parts of the Chelekleka Lake Watersheds and its
surroundings. Besides, notably after 1986 land use/cover change was very tremendous and
exhibited decline of forest lands, shrub lands, and swampy vegetation. Hence, during 1973-
1986 deforestation and soil degradation in the Chelekleka Lake Watersheds and its
surroundings was very sever, which was ultimately affected the depth of the lake. In the same
period majority of the forest and shrub lands in upper water course changes to grass lands,
crop lands and bare-degraded lands, i.e., markedly, degraded bare land coverage was
increased because of acute increase of agricultural lands. Moreover, the land use
investigation data conclude the presence of a shift in land use types, for instance, agricultural
lands were converted to population settlements areas and crop lands in turn expand to shrub
and uncultivable land uses. Similarly irrigated vegetations also occupied the swampy areas of
Chelekleka Lake. These land use changes caused massive reduction of surface water coverage
and changes its shapes from deep dark blue and compacted shapes to slant shallow and light
blue color shapes. Generally study concludes, all the Chelekleka lake especially, The inner
and border areas of the lake Chelekleka was dramatically changed into irrigated vegetation
and grass lands and hence the dying of the lake was already starting from upper and expands
to its central areas. In addition to the challenges of land use change factors like high interest
of Horticulture expansion, poorly planned infrastructure developments, lack of awareness
and poor attention from governments, and climate change/variability exacerbate the dying of
the lake. On the basis of the study findings of the research the following recommendations
forwarded undertaking appropriate resource conservation and management approaches, both
the lake and its buffer zone should be demarcated and administered by concerned bodies, the
silt and sedimentation filled the base of the lake should be removed, appropriately designed
ditch and/or bridges to transfer the streams from upper course to the lake should be
implemented.
Key words: Lake Chelekleka Land use land cover change
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Keywords
Lake Chelekleka, Land use land cover change