Tafese, Tesfaye (PhD)Fithawok, Eyerusalem2018-08-022023-11-182018-08-022023-11-182009-07http://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/12345678/10875Ethiopia is known for being a water tower in the continenr. It has a considerable potential of llO-J20 billion cubic meters of surface water and 2.6 billion cubic meters of ground water. Inspite of such potentials, it is one of the countries with small proportion of water tapped for domestic as well as productive activities. Recently different interventions against this challenge in the water sector started to emerge. MUS approach is one of them. It is a new concept introduced in the water sector. MUS is understood as "a participatory, integrated and povertyreduction focused approach in poor rural and peri-urban areas, which takes people's multiple water needs as a starting point for providing inregrated services, moving beyond the conventional sectoral barriers of the domestic and productive sectors" (Moriarty et ai, 2004). Various interventions were there by societies and other organizations to actualize the MUS concept on the ground. Application of de facto MUS and upgraded and planned MUS are some of the interventions. The study focuses on upgraded and planned MUS. The main objective of the study is to assess the challenges and opportunities of multiple use water systems (MUS) in Goro Gutu and Meta woredas of East Hararghe zone. Samples were selected from two kebeles Fom the two woredas. Both primary and secondary data were collected using various techniques like survey questionnaire, key informants interview, focus group discu;·sion and other instruments like visits of sites and informal interviews. Secondary data were collected from review of published and unpublished materials from concerned organizations. The collected data were coded in SPSs. Descriptive statistics, including tables of percentage distribution, Fequency distribution and others were used for the analysis of the coded data. Figures (charts) were also used for more illush"ations. The findings of the analysis showed that the MUS facilities existing in the selected kebeles provide services for households who are accessing water for both domestic and productive activities. The result of the data analysis also showed that attitude of households to MUS is positive as majority of them are appreciative of the benefits others and themselves captured in their lives as a result of the establishmenl of the MUS facilities. More over, there is great aspiration of non user households to get chance to use the MUS facilities as benefiCiaries in order to bring about monumental changes. However, there are some challenging situations to these MUS ;,ystems in the target woredas. These include reduction in the amount of water of the developed springs, unsafe water Fom the springs, simple damage of some parts and others. Solutions were suggested Fom the poinl of view of respondents, different stakeholders and researcher. These and other information were used to make concluding remarks. Basing the facts obtainedFom the data analysis, some recommendations were made.enReligious Tourism DevelopmentThesis